


Far Longer Than Forever

by ErinacchiLove



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Animal Transformation, Human Smaug, M/M, Romance, Swan Princess!AU, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-26
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinacchiLove/pseuds/ErinacchiLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo and Thorin, the heirs of the realms of the Shire and Erebor, are perfect for each other... or so their parents think, as they've decided to make them marry when they are old enough. But what happens when an evil wizard decides to destroy everything?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ewebean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ewebean/gifts).



> This was sort of a prompt. I saw this picture in deviantArt and was quite interested in making a story out of it and the artist, ewelock, encouraged me to do so. Hope you'll enjoy.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful kingdom called the Shire. It was ruled by much loved King Bungo and Queen Belladonna. They were however troubled, for they had no child to inherit the realm. Belladonna became even more distressed as Bungo passed away after a long illness. She was lucky, though, as she realized shortly after Bungo’s funeral that she was with child. Some months later a healthy boy was born and Belladonna named him Bilbo.

     The kings and queens from all over Middle-Earth gathered in the Shire to the castle of Bag End to pay their respects to Bungo and greet little Bilbo. Among them was Thráin, the King under the Mountain, the mightiest of the Dwarf lords, and his three children, Thorin, Frerin and Dís. As Thráin saw the new heir of the Shire, he went to Belladonna with a suggestion. Their children could see each other every summer and if and when Thorin and Bilbo were to fall in love, they could unite the kingdoms of the Shire and Erebor forever. Belladonna considered for a moment and agreed. They had been planning the union for years but there hadn’t been a chance for it until now.

     Both realms were happy, but the happiness was short-lived. An evil wizard named Smaug marched to Erebor with his army of orcs and tried to take over the power by using Dark Arts. Thráin and his elderly father Thrór marched against them and won, but Thrór was killed by Smaug’s right hand, the Pale Orc. Azog beheaded Thrór and drew Thráin mad with rage. In his anger he managed to drive off the orcs and strip Smaug off his powers. He would’ve most likely also killed him, but his friend, the wizard Gandalf the Grey, asked him to show mercy. And thus Thráin only sent Smaug into exile. The powerless Smaug swore his vengeance on Thráin and his heir one day, and many were afraid that Thráin had been too lenient. But as the years passed the threat was forgotten and everyone’s hopes were aimed at the summer when Bilbo and Thorin would meet. 

* * *

“Mum, do I have to?”

     “Bilbo, we have discussed this many times now”, Belladonna sighed as she combed Bilbo’s curly hair. “You and Thorin are the heirs of the realms. Besides, how do you know you won’t become his friend if you’ve never met him?”

     Bilbo scowled at his mother. “He’s a Dwarf! A Dwarf, Mum! You know they’re not nice! All they care about is their gold and jewels. I know that well enough and so should you.”

     Belladonna sighed again. She didn’t know to whom Bilbo had listened to about the matter of Dwarves (but she guessed it was the Sackville-Bagginses) to be this prejudiced. She finished her son’s hair and said, “Look, Thráin is an old friend of mine, so make sure you behave around him. And you won’t be alone. Thráin will bring his two other children, Frerin and Dís, as well.”

     “But still...”

     “Oh, you are just as stubborn as your father. Bilbo, promise me that you’ll at least try to get along with Thorin.”

     Bilbo pouted a little, but promised to try. Belladonna ran his fingers in his curls and smiled. Bilbo was only a child, but he had his father’s bearing. Then Hamfast, their head gardener and butler, knocked the door, came in and announced that Thráin and his company were to arrive in ten minutes’ time. Belladonna got up on her feet and grabbed Bilbo’s hand. She smiled at her nervous son encouragingly and walked into the garden after Hamfast.

     Thráin, his children, and the rest of their company did arrive in ten minutes. Bilbo felt scared. Thráin looked good-natured enough, but the Dwarf lad riding beside him – Thorin, Bilbo assumed – was clearly frowning at his father, looking both bored and angry. Thráin did not seem to notice this for he had his eyes on Belladonna. His two other children, Frerin and Dís, rode on the same pony behind their father and elder brother.

     “Hello, dear Belladonna”, Thráin greeted and dismounted his pony. “You look as lovely as ever.”

     “And you are the worst sort of a flatterer, Thráin”, Belladonna laughed. “Welcome to Bag End once again.”

     “Your son has grown a lot”, Thráin commented. “He takes after his father, I see.”

     Bilbo bowed shortly and then hid behind his mother. Belladonna simply explained that he was awfully shy when he had to meet new people. Thorin snorted and earned a smack to the back of his head.

     “We are guests, Thorin”, Thráin scolded. “I expect you to behave like my heir to the throne should. And if you ever so much as mock Bilbo again, I shall see if you’re not too old for spending a whole afternoon learning all the dialects there are for Khuzdul. That should teach you some manners.”

     “Father!” Thorin hissed.

     “Now dismount and go greet Bilbo. And be _polite_!”

     Thorin glared his father but did as he was told. As if on a cue also Frerin and Dís got off their pony and walked to their father. Dís whispered to Frerin that she thought Bilbo was cute. Frerin agreed and then turned to face his younger sister, a wide grin on his face.

     “Wanna bet Thorin fails to make an impression?”

     “No”, Dís whispered back curtly. “We both know he fails so taking bets is quite unnecessary.”

     Dís turned out to be right. Thorin head-butted Bilbo, who got both hurt and extremely frightened. Frerin had to turn around so that nobody would’ve seen how he laughed. Thorin was daft, but Frerin hadn’t imagined him to be daft enough to head-butt a Hobbit. Bilbo hid once again behind his mother and Thráin sighed deeply. This wasn’t working out at all how he had imagined. Now, he hadn’t expected there to be love at first sight (Thorin and Bilbo were children, for Mahal’s sake) but he had hoped Thorin to be more well-mannered. Then Thráin turned to see Frerin and Dís.

     “You two”, he said with a weary voice, and the siblings immediately stood taller, “could you play with Bilbo while I educate your brother a bit more?”

     “Of course, Father”, Dís said and went to greet Bilbo. She was only a year older than the Hobbit prince and looked nowhere near as frightening as her brother. She smiled at Bilbo and said, “Hello Bilbo. I’m Dís. Would you like to play with me and Frerin? I promise we shan’t head-butt you.”

     Bilbo looked at Belladonna for advice, and when she smiled approvingly, he nodded. “Okay. I’ll show you my wooden animals!”

     “Sounds great!” Dís said with clear joy in her voice. “Frerin, come along!”

     The three of them ran inside the castle, laughing. Thorin grunted. Not that he actually cared. He was too old to play stupid kids’ games, after all. He’d much rather train with his wooden swords with his best friend Dwalin, who tagged along the party that had arrived to the Shire. However, Thráin would not even hear about combat training now that they were in Bag End. Hobbits, unlike Dwarves, weren’t into battles and heroism at all. They preferred simple things, like good food, flowers and doilies. So Thráin’s order was clear: no fighting, even for training, as long as they were in the Shire. Thorin tried to protest, and so did also Dwalin, but Thráin’s glare told them to shut their mouths.

     “It’s not fair”, Thorin complained to Dwalin. “Being stuck here all summer is already bad enough but now we can’t even train! That Hobbit kid ruins my life.”

     Dwalin agreed and then suggested that they’d build a fortress to the garden where they could train in secrecy when the king wasn’t around. They could also play some pranks from there. Thorin nodded and they went to choose the best location. They picked a tall pine and in three weeks’ time they had built a bulky yet a quite magnificent fortress out of waste wood and metal scrap up to the branches. Thráin was impressed by Thorin and Dwalin’s building skills, but he was not impressed when they started to throw water balloons at Bilbo, Dís and Frerin from there. Frerin didn’t seem to mind, but Dís ended up yelling so much that her throat ached afterwards. And once again Thráin was forced to scold his eldest son.

     As the years passed, Thráin and Belladonna became more worried each summer. Bilbo had become best friends with Frerin and Dís, but same could not be said about Thorin. They absolutely loathed each other. Whenever they were in the same room they’d always pick up a fight. Bilbo managed to scare Dís once when he came to her, his nose all bloody.

     “By Mahal!” Dís shrieked. “What happened, Bilbo?”

     “Thorin punched me”, Bilbo answered. “And I punched him back.”

     Frerin roared with laughter and patted Bilbo’s shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about! There’s more to this Hobbit than meets the eye, just saying. Oh, I’d be lying with my pants on fire if I said Thorin hasn’t been craving for a good punch for years now...”

     “We have to clean that up”, Dís said strictly (and Bilbo and Frerin thought that if she carried on her strict manners she’d be ruling the world before long). “Your mother will get a fit if she sees this mess!”

     That Bilbo knew to be true. His mother liked things _neat_ and a bloody nose was most certainly _not_ neat. Dís huffed and started to wash the blood off Bilbo’s face. When she was done, nobody could possibly know he’d ever been punched in face. Well, it wasn’t the first time Dís did that. She’d washed Frerin’s face for more times that she could ever count.

     “Are you going to tell Father and Auntie Belladonna what Thorin did?” Frerin asked.

     “No”, Bilbo answered curtly. “This is just between Thorin and me. There’s no need to meddle other people in this.”

     “Whatever did you do to make him punch you?” Dís asked, laughing a little.

     “I beat him in golf. He got mad and punched me. There was no one else to see than Dwalin, and I bet he would’ve smacked me too if I hadn’t run off.”

     “By Mahal”, said Frerin. “Someday this loathing of yours will get you both in a whole lot of trouble. I’m telling you.”

     Little did Frerin know how right he was with his words.

* * *

Things didn’t change by time. The year Bilbo came of age nobody could bear to let them be in the same room at the same time. Dwalin had gratefully stopped picking on him because it wasn’t funny anymore, but Thorin just carried on like he always did. And it was very trying for both Thráin and Belladonna. One night in Erebor Belladonna was doing her needlework, muttering, as Thráin came in her room.

     “You mutter”, he said.

     “I do not mutter”, Belladonna snapped.

     “Aye you do. You do it, lass, when something troubles you.”

     Belladonna dropped her needle on the fabric. “I was thinking of our sons. I doubt they will ever start to get along, let alone become friends. And then I thought... maybe it was a mistake to assume they would get married one day.”

     Thráin sat next to her and pressed his large hand over her shoulder encouragingly. “Belladonna, there is something you should know by now. Sometimes Dwarf lads pick on those they love.”

     Belladonna looked at him disbelievingly. “And you assume this is the deal with Thorin?”

     Thráin nodded. Belladonna let out a deep breath and asked, “So, are we still going to get them together?”

     “Aye. We cannot give up now and you know it, lass.”

     “Oh, stop calling me that! I have not been a lass for great many years!”

     Thráin laughed a bit and stated that no matter how old Belladonna got, he’d still always see her a lass.

     Meanwhile Frerin and Dís, who was pregnant with her first child, were whispering together. They were extremely fed up to Bilbo and Thorin’s constant bickering and they decided to do whatever it would take to make them like each other. At some point Dwalin joined them. He was also quite fed up and promised to help the Durin siblings. He also provided some nice inside information. Dís was overjoyed when Dwalin said that Thorin only picked on Bilbo because he liked him. “Oh well, like is too lame a word. I’d say love is more accurate.” Frerin rubbed his hands together and promised to check if Bilbo felt the same way. The three of them made an oath to each other that they would stop at nothing to get Thorin and Bilbo together. And then they started to work. Even though Dís was pregnant and was feeling quite uncomfortable, she still had the necessary energy to boss people around. She immediately ordered the servants to clean up the throne room and add there a few more plants to make it more pleasant for a Hobbit. It would be the perfect place to start courting, right under the Heart of the Mountain, the Arkenstone.

     While Dís was bossing the servants (and her husband) around, Frerin went looking for Bilbo. The hobbit wasn’t hard to find. He was in the archives of Erebor, reading as he always did. From his point of view there wasn’t much to do in Erebor so he read a lot. Frerin sneaked behind Bilbo and looked over his shoulder to see what he was reading. It looked like the lineage of house Durin. Bilbo was staring at Thorin’s name.

     “So”, Frerin said and gave Bilbo quite a startle, “do I take it you don’t hate my brother as much as you tell people?”

     Bilbo scowled. “And do I take it you enjoy spying on me?”

     “Well, now that you mention it, yes, it is quite entertaining indeed. So, answer my question. Do you like Thorin?”

     “I... well, I suppose... I suppose I do.”

     Frerin clapped his hands together enthusiastically. “Then come on! You have to tell him that!” He grabbed Bilbo’s wrist and dragged him from the archives. Bilbo couldn’t help but wonder what had got into his good friend. Frerin was all too cheerful for a Dwarf, had always been, but now he was even more overly enthusiastic than usually. And Bilbo didn’t understand why he should tell Thorin that he liked him. Surely Thorin would not feel the same way, not after all those years of what could only be called hate...

     “Right, we have to make you look nice”, Frerin said once they arrived in his room. Dwalin was still in there, planning how he would lure Thorin into the throne room without making it suspicious. Frerin huffed and said, “Dwalin, out. I have a Hobbit to prepare.”

     “Prepare for what?” Bilbo demanded. Dwalin grinned.

     “Right, I’m off. Gotta find Thorin. Take care of the Halfling, Frerin.”

     “Aye aye, sir!”

     “Frerin, what in the _valar_ ’s name is going on?” Bilbo asked and squealed as Frerin took off his clothes and pushed him into the bathtub. “Ow! You got soap in my eye!”

     “Oh, sorry”, Frerin apologized. “Wasn’t on purpose, I swear. Now hold still, you have to be at your best tonight.”

     “Frerin! Stop sounding like my mother and tell me at once what the hell is going on!”

     “Can’t. It’s a secret.”

     Bilbo glared him. “Blasted Dwarves and their stubbornness...”

     “Thank you very much for the compliment.”

     Once Frerin was done, Dís came to check they were ready. Bilbo glared both of them and said that he wouldn’t come to Erebor ever again if this secrecy didn’t stop. Dís just smiled and said everything would come clear soon enough.

     “Is everything ready?” Frerin asked.

     Dís nodded. “As ready as can be. Dwalin’s still looking for Thorin but I think he’ll find him soon.”

     “Good. Let’s get going.”

     “Could someone please tell me...” Bilbo started but was cruelly interrupted when his mother came in and said, “Everything is ready. Dwalin found Thorin.”

     Dís and Frerin smirked at each other and dragged Bilbo out of the room. Belladonna followed them with a smile on her face. She was quite fond of young Dís, especially now that she was with child. Dís had come to her many times to ask about things, especially about childbirth and whether or not it hurt as much as people said. Belladonna had been more than pleased to answer all those questions.

     “Ah, here we are”, Dís said when they had reached the doors of the throne room.

     “What are we doing here?” asked Bilbo. He grew more confused every moment.

     “Right, here’s the deal”, said Frerin. “You like Thorin. Thorin likes you. You both should go for it. Was I clear enough?”

     Before Bilbo could even try to complain, Frerin and Dís pushed him into the throne room and closed the doors, grinning at each other. On the other side of the room Dwalin did the same to Thorin, only that he received a slap around his head from his older brother Balin for “manhandling” the Heir under the Mountain. But the mission was accomplished, even if Thorin did yell at Dwalin for locking him in. Dwalin couldn’t hold back a roaring laughter.

     “What’s so funny?” Bilbo asked casually from Thorin.

     Thorin snorted. “Apparently he thinks I have a thing for you and locking us up in here was the flash of genius of the decade.”

     “Your brother and sister think the same”, Bilbo answered. He wouldn’t say anything about his feelings, not until he was absolutely sure they’d be returned...

     “Some friends we have”, Thorin sighed. “As if something could ever happen between us. I wonder how they can be foolish enough to assume so. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”

     “Yeah, so it is”, Bilbo said half-heartedly. Well, that sure proved it. Thorin cared nothing for him and he’d been foolish to think otherwise... For some reason it hurt Bilbo more than it should have. Sure, he cared for Thorin, but surely it was mere admiration of his strength and bearing, nothing more. So why did it hurt so badly? Bilbo didn’t understand.

     “It’s not even like we were friends”, Thorin continued. “It was stupid of our parents to try to get us together. Father knows well enough that I won’t need a consort now that Dís is pregnant.”

     “So... are the gold and the Arkenstone all you care about?” Bilbo asked. “What about everything else?”

     Thorin looked puzzled. “What else is there?”

     “Nothing. I get it. I could never stand a chance. Have a nice life with the lifeless jewels, Thorin.”

     “What the... Bilbo, wait!”

     But Bilbo had already left the room and told Belladonna that he wouldn’t stay in Erebor for another minute. Frerin and Dís looked at each other with worry, but they knew better than try to turn Bilbo’s head. Frerin offered to come see them off while Dís and Dwalin went into the throne room and started to yell at Thorin, calling him names king Thráin would have most likely disapproved. Frerin went to the stables, helped Bilbo to mount a pony and said, “I’m so sorry, Bilbo. I didn’t think my brother would be that daft.”

     “It’s not your fault, Frerin”, Bilbo sighed. “I was stupid enough to think even for a moment there might be room in his heart for anything else than that blasted stone.”

     Then they took off. At the same time Balin had joined Dís and Dwalin in their mission to tell Thorin off so badly he’d remember it for the rest of his life. While the younger ones used quite rude words (Balin made mental note to wash Dwalin’s mouth with soap after they were done), Balin was more discreet but his words hit harder.

     “’What else is there?’” Balin said mimicking Thorin’s voice. “He asks you if you only care about the gold and the Arkenstone, and you have the nerve to answer, ‘What else?’”

     Thorin scowled. “It was stupid, I know. He took me off guard, so stop yelling at me!”

     “You should write a book: _How to Offend Hobbits with Five Syllables or Less_ ”, Dwalin mocked.

     “You are such an arse!” Dís screamed. “Did you see Bilbo’s face?! It was as if you’d stabbed him, you... oh...”

     “Yes, what?”

     Dís clutched her belly. “The baby. He’s coming.”

     Thorin, Balin and Dwalin looked at Dís with horror. It was two weeks too early, she could not possibly give birth now! Dwalin rushed to look for Thráin, Dís’s husband, and the midwife while Thorin and Balin helped her back in her room. As if things weren’t already going badly enough, one of the guards that had left with Bilbo, Belladonna and Frerin came in running and gasped that they had been attacked by a dragon. Dís screamed in pain for both her baby and her brother and friend.

     “Go, laddie”, Balin urged Thorin. “I’ll take care of Lady Dís.”

     Thorin rushed to the stables and told his pony, Minty, to show the meaning of haste. Minty did as she was told to. Thorin had never prayed so hard. Bilbo and Frerin... they had to be alright, they had to be safe. Thank Mahal Minty was the fastest pony ever to gallop in Middle-Earth. Thorin thought of Bilbo, of Frerin, and of Dís’s child. They all had to survive. They just had to. (Thorin wasn’t too worried about Dís’s survival. That woman could get incinerated by a dragon and walk out of it unharmed.)

      The scene of the tragedy was just at the edge of the realm of Mirkwood. There were dead, bloody bodies everywhere. Thorin dismounted and ran around, yelling for Bilbo and his brother. Quite soon he found Belladonna who had only minor wounds but who was just as frantic as Thorin was. Finally he found Frerin. His baby brother was bleeding and had troubles with breathing. Frerin looked at Thorin and coughed.

     “I- I’m so sorry, brother”, he managed. “I- I tried to keep him safe but I couldn’t. Th- the dragon... it took him...”

     “Frerin, don’t speak”, Thorin pleaded. “You’ll be fine. You must live. You’ll get better and then we’ll go find Bilbo together. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

     “No, Thorin”, Frerin coughed. “I am... beyond help now. Find... find Bilbo and... make things right.”

     Frerin coughed some more blood and drew his last breath. Belladonna had sunk on the ground with despair. Thorin held his brother and cried. His whole world was coming crumbling down on him. He was such a fool. It hadn’t been his father, Frerin, Dís, Dwalin or Belladonna who had been stupid to think he and Bilbo could’ve had a future together. He was the only idiot, had always been.

     “Frerin, I promise to avenge you”, Thorin whispered. “And I’ll find Bilbo even if it were the last thing I’d ever do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The storyline will be a tad darker than in the movie Swan Princess. I'll keep as faithful to the movie as I can but there were things I were quite forced to alter. You'll see them then. And I kept some of the lines the characters had in the movie (only the funniest ones, though). English is not my first language, so please point out any grammatical errors I might've made.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just mentioning, I'm going with human ages with this, because I've butchered the dwarf and hobbit ages for too many times for my own good. I'm not taking any more risks. Elves are a whole other case, but then again, they always are. And I just couldn't leave Fíli, Kíli, Gimli or Legolas out, because I love them :)
> 
> And thank you for all the kudos!

_Twenty years later_

Thorin dropped his cloak on the floor and sighed. He had once again spent the whole week looking for Bilbo. He could swear he’d searched the whole Middle-Earth by now, but there was no sign of the Hobbit. Thorin couldn’t understand what he was missing. With a frown on his face he walked to Erebor’s mausoleum and there touched the stone tomb of his brother wistfully.

     “Forgive me, Frerin”, Thorin whispered. “I will find him. I will.”

     “Uncle Thorin?”

     Thorin turned to the doorway to see his seventeen-year-old nephew, Kíli. Kíli bit his lip and clutched his bow. He came in and asked, “Did you see even a sign of him? My brother, I mean.”

     Thorin ran his fingers through Kíli’s hair and answered, “I’m sorry, lad.”

     Kíli pressed his lips together and held back tears the best he could. His older brother by three years, Fíli, had disappeared two years ago and Thorin had more than a good reason to suspect it had been Smaug’s doing. After Bilbo’s disappearance Thorin and Dís had looked over all the historic accounts and found out about the evil wizard who had sworn his revenge on house Durin. Fíli had been on his way to the city of Dale those two years ago to attend the markets. It had been the last time the people of Erebor had seen Thorin’s heir. Kíli had been mad with grief for many weeks, crying himself to sleep every night, and there had been nothing Thorin or Dís or anyone could’ve done to ease his pain. Thorin could only offer words of sympathy as he also had cried himself to sleep many nights after Bilbo’s disappearance and Frerin’s death.

     Kíli swallowed and said, “It’s okay, Uncle. We’ll find them.”

     “I know, Kíli”, Thorin said. “I just don’t know how long it will take. I’ve been looking for Bilbo for twenty damned years now and there has been absolutely no sign of him. Well, this just proves your mother was right, as usually.”

     “How so?”

     “When she was just a child, a bit younger than your friend Gimli, she told me and Frerin that people only realise the value of other people when they’re gone. I should’ve listened to her.”

     “Those might just be the smartest words ever to come out of your mouth.”

     Thorin turned around again, this time to meet his younger sister. Dís rarely smiled or laughed anymore. No one could really blame her; she had lost her brother, best friend, her husband (in an ambush of Orcs fifteen years ago) and most recently her oldest son. It was no wonder she didn’t see life so much fun any longer. Dís wrapped her arms around Kíli as if to seek consolation from him. No words were needed. Kíli turned around to hug his mother and Thorin wrapped his arms around the both of them. He would not lose any other family members, that he vowed.

     “So, did I miss much while I was gone?” Thorin asked.

     “No, you didn’t”, Dís answered. “Dáin was complaining about how you’re not fulfilling your duties as the King under the Mountain but he gracefully shut up when Dwalin and I gave him a piece of our minds.”

     “Good”, Thorin said.

     “It was quite a sight, really”, Kíli put in. “I’ve never seen Dáin shrink like that. I bet he also wet his pants.”

     Thorin ruffled his nephew’s hair and stated, “Yes, sometimes I think your mother would make a better ruler than me.”

     Dís snorted. “There’s no way in Mordor I’d ever officially take up your position, brother. Ruling in your stead when you’re out there looking for Bilbo and Fíli is quite enough. Do you have any idea how tiresome it is to have a teenage boy to look after? Full-time job, believe me.”

     Thorin was quite relieved to see that even after all the bad times Dís still had her spirit to talk back. It proved him that not everything was lost yet, and it gave him hope to find Bilbo and Fíli. Oh, and also two miners, one of whom had disappeared shortly after Bilbo, and the other who had been lost for ten years. Bofur and Bombur were their names and they had been not only good miners but also quite exceptional friends, or so Dwalin had said. Thorin had known them and liked them well enough but Dwalin had been the one who was friends with them. And that added one more Dwarf who was determined to turn all Middle-Earth upside down in the search.

     When Thorin, Dís and Kíli left the graves (Thorin and Dís also looked over their father’s tomb), Kíli asked, “Uncle, when you go search for Bilbo and Fíli next time, could I please come with you? I’ve practised so hard and I know how to shoot, how to ride a pony and how to be stealthy. Actually, Nori taught me in the last one. I wouldn’t be any trouble.”

     “Kíli, it’s a dangerous business”, Thorin sighed. “I can’t let you come. I’ve already lost one nephew, I will not lose you too. And I believe Dís agrees with me.”

     So she did. Kíli pouted. It wasn’t fair. He was just as worried as Uncle Thorin was, and he was a good warrior. But _no_ , Mother and Uncle Thorin just kept treating him like a wee baby who was barely out of his nappies. Kíli let out a huff and left his mother and uncle to go over to the archery range to deal with some stress. He’d liked archery ever since he had been able to walk and had practised a lot, but after Fíli had gone missing he had also realized it was a good way to get rid of stress and relax. When stressful he couldn’t hit the bull’s eye so he had to ease up and let go of his thoughts. Plus it was a good way to get better at the whole thing. Kíli had only shot two arrows when someone called for him.

     “Oi! Kíli!”

     Kíli turned around to see Ori and Gimli, his best friends. They were a bit younger than him but it had never bothered them. Gimli was the youngest but the most eager to explore the world outside Erebor and the city of Dale. Ori, on the other hand, was very shy for a dwarf and was constantly bullied until Kíli and Gimli rescued him (arrows may or may not have been shot into the bullies’ buttocks).

     “Hi kids”, Kíli greeted teasingly. Ori laughed and Gimli ignored it completely, for he had other things in his mind.

     “Well, did you ask your uncle if we could come along next time?” he asked eagerly.

     “Yes, I did”, Kíli answered and let go of third arrow before continuing. “And he said no. Of course, I only asked if I could come, but if he says no to me there’s no chance it’ll be a yes to you, Gimli.”

     “Why not?” Gimli pouted.

     “You’re thirteen, for pity’s sake! Four years my junior! Uncle Thorin would never let you go with him. Well, partially because he knows your dad is over-protective, but still.”

     Gimli was disappointed. “This is so unfair. We’ve both trained our arses off and this is the result?”

     “Oh, would you two please stop complaining?” Ori pleaded. “It’s not going to get better if you just whine over this thing.”

     Kíli sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. But I’m telling you, one day I’ll leave this mountain, search that dragon that got Bilbo and that wizard that got Fíli, and shoot them both!”

     “Not without me and my axe!” Gimli shouted. Ori chuckled and started to sketch his friends standing all high and mighty, sort of like his Majesty and Master Glóin. While Ori sketched, Kíli and Gimli were bragging how one day they’d be the mightiest warriors ever to wander around Middle-Earth.

* * *

“Bofur, this is just one of your queer whims again”, Fíli sighed as he watched his friend carrying a long pole around. “One day you’ll...”

     “Would you keep your opinions to yourself?” Bofur snapped. “When Bilbo receives flowers, he’ll feel better.”

     Fíli rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t feel so sure. He’s been stuck here for twenty years. He won’t cheer up for some weeds.”

     Bofur huffed and continued working with the pole. He pushed it deep into the ground and thought that it would suit its purpose just fine. Fíli sighed and said, “Well, if you must, then why don’t you just pick these flowers over here?” He referred to some lilies that grew near the wall that Bofur seemed so determined to clear.

     “Fíli, you know naught of Hobbits. Hobbits don’t like these flowers, they like those!” he pointed at lilies, respectively, that grew beyond the wall. The bad thing was that there were also Orcs there. (How they hadn’t already stamped over the flowers was beyond Fíli.) Bofur bent the pole and got ready to jump. Fíli tried to cover a smile.

     “Could I just point out a teeny tiny thing here?”

     “Shut it”, Bofur snapped.

     “It would be good if you took it into account”, Fíli tried to reason.

     “Fíli, I’m in the middle of something, in case ya haven’t noticed!”

     Fíli shrugged and stated that it was nothing, then. Bofur stretched and was ready to jump. The Orcs seemed to notice this and grabbed their arms. Just before Bofur jumped, Fíli said, “I was going to ask how you planned to come back, but since it seems to be no concern of yours, I’ll just as what sort of flowers you want on your grave.”

     “Huh?!”

     And then Bofur flew. He clung onto the pole as he flew back and forth and screamed. The Orcs couldn’t catch him but unfortunately neither could Fíli. He tried, though, but he was always too far off or too close. Bofur wasn’t saved until his brother, Bombur, and Bilbo arrived and Bombur sat on the pole. Bofur let out a relieved breath and dropped on the ground.

     “Are you alright, Bofur?” Bilbo asked with clear worry in his voice.

     “Yes, yes, I’m fine”, Bofur answered. “Well, me pride isn’t, but otherwise.”

     Bombur stepped off the pole and let it hit one of the Orcs in the head. The sight made everyone laugh until Bilbo turned to Bofur again and asked, “What on earth were you trying to do?”

     “I was uh... I was trying to get those flowers for ya.”

     Bilbo raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you become suicidal?”

     “Am not! You deserve those flowers!”

     “There are plenty of flowers here”, Bilbo said. “I don’t want you to risk your life to get me some lilies.”

     Fíli smirked and muttered something like “told you so”. Bofur scowled at him and would’ve probably given him a thorough bashing if Bilbo hadn’t been there. Bilbo very much resented crude words and Bofur didn’t want to upset him any further. Then Bilbo and Bombur said that the meal was ready. Bombur had made toast with roast beef, and tea, and there was also some raspberry jam and apples (Fíli didn’t so much as touch them, not after a quite nasty incident with a barrel of apple wine – long story). While they ate, they also began their favourite pastime: making plans how to a) get out of there and b) break a spell that had been cast on Bilbo twenty years ago when he was kidnapped by the evil wizard Smaug. Bilbo didn’t especially like to remember it because the whole kidnapping business had been so terrible and it had cost him his dear friend. The thought of Frerin still brought tears in Bilbo’s eyes. In truth, he didn’t mind the spell or even being stuck there in the middle of nowhere, but he did mind that he hadn’t seen Dís in two decades – and even more, he hadn’t seen Thorin. Though he had to admit that after Fíli came along the pain had been relieved a little. Fíli had filled him in on everything that had happened while he had been gone.

     “So, Fíli, you sneaked into the fortress earlier today, right?” Bilbo said. “Did you find out anything? Anything at all?”

     “I’m sorry, no”, Fíli answered. “I looked for any possible spell books but I couldn’t find any. Smaug must’ve hidden them somewhere. By the way, thanks for causing distraction here. Bombur, you were amazing. I saw you flailing with your filleting knife from the window.”

     Bombur nodded in acknowledgement. It had been very amusing indeed, attacking Orcs with a filleting knife. They sure hadn’t expected that to happen.

     “Well, that means we have to change plans”, Bilbo stated. “Again.”

     “No worries, there will be the day when we outsmart that bloody wizard”, Fíli said with confidence.

     “If there ever will”, Bofur sighed. “We’ve been here for years and there’s been no such luck.”

     That was true. Whatever they had tried to break the spell and get out hadn’t worked out. None of them knew much about magic anyway. They did know that every spell had to be breakable but the ways of breaking them was a whole other story. Most were made extremely difficult to break and of some there was no information, like now on Bilbo’s case. Bilbo still had occasional nightmares of the day when the spell had been cast on him.

     A red dragon had attacked them. Frerin had drawn his sword and war hammer and told Bilbo and Belladonna to run. They hadn’t been able to run far. The dragon incinerated and used its claws to kill Dwarves; Frerin had seen some of his friends killed, and yet he had refused to step down. Bilbo had never seen that sort of courage before. But the dragon had got the better of Frerin. It flew away with Bilbo in its claws, leaving Frerin lying on the ground, fatally wounded. Bilbo had been so shocked that he had lost his consciousness. When he had regained it... he had realised he’d been turned into a swan. It had been quickly revealed to him by Smaug himself that the swan form didn’t last all day. When the moon would rise over the lake he’d turn back. But he had to be at the lake each night if he wished to turn back, because otherwise it wouldn’t work. As for turning into a swan, that would happen when the moon stopped shining over the lake, no matter where he was at the moment. It was the reason Bilbo couldn’t leave until the spell was broken. Fíli, Bofur and Bombur could probably leave if they managed to get past the orc guards, but they refused to leave Bilbo alone at Smaug’s mercy.

     Fíli was the first to notice how Bilbo looked down, tears in his eyes. He put his cup of tea on the ground and hugged the Hobbit tightly. “It’s gonna be okay, Uncle Bilbo”, he said affectionately. “I know Uncle Thorin will find us. He won’t give up on you, believe me.”

     “You’re right, Fíli”, Bilbo said and wiped his eyes. “Sorry about that. I don’t know why I am so emotional...”

     “You have every right to be emotional”, Bofur said strictly. “Oh, I just wish I had me pickaxe. Smaug wouldn’t know what hit him...”

     “Yeah, that bloody Azog took also my filleting knife”, Bombur sighed. “I hate Orcs.”

     “Don’t we all?” Fíli snorted.

     They had just finished their meal when they heard noises from the gate of the fortress. They glanced at each other and sneaked to the bushes to see what was going on. They certainly didn’t expect to see what they saw. Azog was dragging an Elf and threw him (at least Fíli, Bofur and Bombur assumed the Elf was a he – it was hard to tell with Elves) on the ground, snarling something in his nasty Orc language. After he had closed the gates and gone back to the fortress, Bilbo hurried to see the Elf. He had long blond hair and he was dressed in green and brown tunic and trousers. He had a wound in his forehead but it didn’t look bad. Bilbo helped him up the best he could.

     “Thank you”, the Elf said in common tongue. “Now that was something I do not wish to experience again.”

     “I believe so”, Bilbo answered. “So, who are you and why are you here? My name is Bilbo.”

     “Ah, the lost Hobbit prince”, the Elf smiled. “It’s an honour to meet you, Bilbo. I am Legolas, son of King Thranduil of Woodland Realm.”

     “You mean Mirkwood Realm”, Fíli stated and stepped out from the bushes. He was glancing Legolas suspiciously. Bilbo couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Sometimes Dwarves and their suspicion towards Elves and vice versa really got on his nerves.

     “So, how did you end up here?” Fíli continued, not seeming to care about manners.

     “I was on my way to Erebor with my companions when we were ambushed”, Legolas told him. “And I’d very much like to know who I am addressing now.”

     “Fíli, son of Dís, the Heir under the Mountain”, Fíli answered. “ _Not_ at your service.”

     Legolas smirked a little. “Well, this is quite convenient. The heirs to the thrones of Mirkwood, Erebor and the Shire, all together in the same place. What in Eru’s name is Smaug playing at?”

     “As for us, I think he is trying to make Thorin as vulnerable as possible”, Bilbo answered and Fíli hissed as if to say something like “do not let the Elf know”. Bilbo huffed and smacked Fíli to the back of his head.

     “Ow! Uncle Bilbo, what was that for?!”

     “You could at least try to be polite”, Bilbo scolded. “Honestly, sometimes you behave about as well as your uncle and he had no manners whatsoever.”

     “Be as it may”, said Legolas, interrupting Fíli before he could say anything, “I am pleased to meet you both, and I suppose we should try to get along now that we are stuck here.”

     “Why were you on your way to Erebor in the first place?” asked Bofur who had just stepped from the bushes with Bombur. Legolas seemed to be quite taken aback to see two more Dwarves but he greeted them politely and answered, “Smaug has been terrorizing near our borders for too long and my father saw no other option to make it stop than to suggest an alliance with Erebor. He sent me to negotiate with King Thorin, but as you might’ve already guessed, it did not work out the way my father planned.”

     “An alliance between Elves and Dwarves?” Bilbo muttered under his breath. “Now I’ve seen everything.”

     Fíli, Bofur and Bombur glanced at each other as if asking without words whether or not to trust this Elf. Sure, he seemed sincere enough but one could never be sure when dealing with tree-shaggers (that they wouldn’t say out loud, because Bilbo didn’t like it – terms such as “pointy-eared bastard” were also out of the question).

     “Umm... I’ll just have you know that I am unarmed”, Legolas said. “In case it helps you to trust me.”

     “Fine”, Fili sighed. “But we’ve got our eyes on you. And if you ever so much as pull a hair out of Uncle Bilbo’s head, I’ll have your head.”

     “Oh please, I would never do anything to hurt any of you!” Legolas retorted and seemed quite offended, so Bilbo decided to cut it off.

     “Please, could you just stop that?” he asked. “We’re in this together and let’s face it, we could use a fifth person to help with the plans.”

     Legolas asked if the plans were to get them out of there, which took the dwarfs by surprise. Bilbo nodded. Legolas smiled and said that he would be more than happy to help. He had no desire to stay in that dreadful place, even though the garden where they were was quite pleasant.

     “We still need to make sure you’re trustworthy”, Bofur said. “Fíli, do ya still have that contract that has all of our names in it?”

     “Sure”, Fíli answered and disappeared for a while. Bilbo and Bombur looked at each other and grinned. They hadn’t seen the contract since the week Fíli had arrived. They had just written it down and each had signed it to signify their loyalty to the escape plans. In about five minutes Fíli returned with a parchment roll. He handed it over to Legolas who started to read it. There wasn’t anything surprising in it, and the terms were easy to follow. He’d only have to participate in the planning (easy), help to carry out the plans that were ready (a bit harder, but nothing impossible) and, most importantly, keep his mouth shut about the plans when Smaug or any of his orc henchmen were nearby (that he could absolutely do).

     “Right”, Legolas muttered and looked up. “I accept the terms. Hand me a quill and I’ll sign it.”

     Fíli gave him a quill and some ink, and Legolas wrote his name in the parchment in neat Elven runes and also in common letters.

     “Well then, you are now a part of our team, Legolas”, Fíli said when Legolas gave the parchment back to him. “Stay loyal.”

     “Done deal.”

     “Uh oh, guys”, Bofur gasped. “Look!”

     They all looked at the sky and Bilbo moaned. The moon was setting. The Dwarves turned around so that they wouldn’t see Bilbo’s transformation. It was already humiliating enough without an audience, and it mentally hurt a lot, and not just Bilbo. Fíli squeezed his eyes shut and pressed Bofur’s hand. Bofur patted the lad’s back and told him it was alright. Bilbo waded into the lake and closed his eyes. He hated this. And soon it began, the uncomfortable feeling of his body changing and the water surrounding him (though that was not so uncomfortable, because the water felt like protection). The whole process was the same as it had been for twenty years – aside from one part. Legolas let out a cry of pain and Bofur and Bombur’s gasps made Fíli look. Legolas was surrounded by wind and leaves and even though they couldn’t see him, they could very well hear him. And he was not enjoying what was happening. Bilbo’s transformation was done and he, also, was confused of this sudden turn of events.

     Then the wind ended and the leaves disappeared. The dwarfs and Bilbo stared at Legolas in surprise.

     “What... what happened?” Legolas asked, sounding like he was about to faint. “How did you suddenly become so tall?”

     “Well, that’s because Smaug must’ve put a spell on you, too”, Fíli explained as soon as he got his voice back. “And as surprising as this whole thing is, I think you make a quite nice snowy owl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why a snowy owl? Honestly, I'm not sure myself. Guess I picked it because I like snowy owls. I had a bunch of other birds in my mind, including a puffin, a raven and a thrush, but the snowy owl just felt the best.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you everyone for all the kudos! I wish I could make Thorin hug all of you but that stingy old Dwarf says he's saving all his hugs for Bilbo. Well, I suppose he can't be blamed.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy. Many things are explained in this chapter. And please listen to "No Fear" from the film Swan Princess as you read this. It'll make it a lot funnier :)

It took about twenty minutes to make Legolas calm down. The transformation had been very painful, so naturally he was shocked, but in the end Bilbo had to sit on him to stop him fluttering his wings like crazy. When that had been done, they explained Legolas the best they could what had happened. Legolas would’ve cursed but there was no curse strong enough in any language he knew that would’ve suited the situation. Instead he threatened to peck Smaug’s eyes out if the wizard came to ten yards’ distance from him.

     “I’m starting to like that Elf”, Bombur said when Legolas had finally calmed down and fallen asleep. He’d had a long day.

     “Quite true”, Bofur agreed. “And I’d very much like to see him peck Smaug’s eyes off. That would be a delight to see.”

     Fíli and Bilbo laughed quietly and agreed. It would serve Smaug right. Then they went to sleep. The dawn wasn’t far off and they needed to rest. Their normal sleeping patterns had changed a lot during the years so that they could keep Bilbo company during the night. Thus they went to sleep in the small hours and usually slept until noon. This would probably suit also Legolas now, because owls were nocturnal birds, as Bofur jokingly pointed out. Legolas woke up shortly to give him a dirty look, and Bilbo asked if Bofur could stop making bird-themed jokes – or if he had to make them, then at least make them when Legolas was out of earshot. Bofur sighed overly dramatically but promised to do so. They’d talk more about the situation after they had got some rest. So Bilbo flew to the branches of the pine tree where Legolas was sleeping and fell asleep next to him. Fíli, Bofur and Bombur slept under the tree, and Bombur had an iron ladle beside him in case someone (i.e. an Orc) tried to disturb them. Although the Orcs probably had already learned their lesson, at least so everyone hoped. Getting that ladle in the head hurt a bloody lot.

     Sometime after noon Bombur woke up and started to prepare “breakfast”. The only good thing about Smaug was that he provided them real food every day. Fíli would’ve gone hunting if there had been any game animals in the area. There were loads of berries, though, especially at this time of year. Bombur picked up some raspberries and blueberries to make the “breakfast” look nicer. Other than berries there was toast, different juices, beef and ham. And apples, just to tease Fíli a bit. The rest of them woke up one by one and were happy to have something to eat. Bilbo ate only berries because everything else was too difficult to eat in the swan form. Legolas tried to eat ham. It worked out just fine but he did make quite a mess and made Fíli and Bofur choke up to their drinks (for their defence, they did try to hold back laughter).

     “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it”, Bilbo said when Legolas was just about ready to scratch the dwarves with his talons.

     “I do not want to get used to this”, Legolas sighed. “This is very uncomfortable.”

     “I know, I’m not enjoying myself either, but until we figure out how to break these spells, you might as well accept it.”

     Legolas snorted. “Right, yes. And may I ask why those three aren’t turning into anything?”

     “That we don’t know”, Fíli answered. “Our best guess is that Smaug’s magic doesn’t work on Dwarves that way, but we could be wrong. And by the way, sorry for the laughing, honestly.”

     “Apology accepted”, Legolas said. “And while we’re at it, why were you all kidnapped?”

     “We’re not sure about that either”, Bofur said. “Well, as for Bilbo and young Fíli here (“Hey, I’m not that young!” Fíli protested), we think Smaug did it to hurt King Thorin since Bilbo is his betrothed and Fíli is his heir. As for me and Bombur I don’t have the slightest idea. Maybe we just were at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

     “Hm, that does seem relevant”, Legolas pondered. “So, assuming Bofur is right with his theory, then why would Smaug kidnap me?”

     The other four thought of it for a moment. Then Bombur suggested, “Maybe he knew you were on your way to Erebor and he decided to kidnap you to cause a quarrel between Erebor and Mirkwood. You know, to prevent them to have an alliance.”

     “That’s an excellent point, Bombur”, Bilbo praised. Bombur blushed a little, for it wasn’t that often when he got praised for anything. Bofur agreed with Bilbo and patted his brother’s back.

     “Smaug really ought to explain things more”, Fíli stated. “I’d also very much like to know the deal with the spells. Why would he cast them on you two is beyond me.”

     “Making sure we won’t leave, maybe”, Bilbo said.

     “But what about you three?” Legolas asked. “You could leave. Why don’t you?”

     “For three reasons”, said Fíli. “One: at first we’d have to get past the Orcs that guard this place. Unarmed. Two: we can’t leave Bilbo behind. It would be way too cruel to leave him here alone with Smaug. And three: we don’t exactly even know where we are, so leaving without any sense of direction whatsoever is _a very bad idea_.”

     “Point taken”, Legolas admitted. “Why don’t you use a map, then?”

     “What map?” the Dwarves asked in unison.

     “What do you mean, ‘what map’?” Legolas was flabbergasted.

     “We don’t have a map”, Bilbo explained.

     “Bet Smaug has, though”, said Bombur, pointing at the fortress. They all looked where Bombur was pointing, and a plan started to shape in Fíli and Legolas’ minds. They looked back at each other and Fíli could’ve sworn Legolas was grinning mischievously (it did sound impossible, as he was an owl, but still). They had some sort of a silent conversation with their eyes and when they were done, Fíli announced to Bilbo, Bofur and Bombur, “Here’s the deal: Bilbo and Legolas keep guard while we three nick a map.”

     “You two nick a map”, Bofur corrected, leaving Fíli and Bombur confused.

     “But surely you’re coming with us!” Fíli exclaimed.

     “Nope. I’m not a thief. I don’t walk around nicking maps!”

     “Oh really?” Bilbo, Bombur and Fíli grinned in unison.

     Bofur looked embarrassed. “Okay, there was that one time with Nori, but it was an accident!”

     “Once a thief...” said Bilbo.

     “... always a thief!” Fíli ended the sentence.

     “No, I am not going!” Bofur shouted. “I’ve had enough of risking me life, thank you very much, so count me out! I’ll stay with Bilbo and Legolas to keep guard.”

     “No, you’re not”, Fíli said curtly. “Now come on, you big baby. We’ve got a map to steal!”

     And the operation was ready to start. Bilbo and Legolas soared over the grounds between the garden and the fortress, making sure the road was clear. Legolas hooted five times and that was when the three dwarves got going. There were no Orcs in sight, which was quite odd, but they didn’t complain. Sneaking into the fortress was actually quite an easy task after all. Navigating inside was a different thing, as it was very dark and there were almost no windows anywhere. Luckily after sneaking in there the day before Fíli knew where the maps were. It didn’t make the mission any easier, though. They couldn’t afford to make any noise, so they moved slowly. Once they had reached the upper levels of the fortress, they decided to hurry some more.

     “Okay guys, quickly”, Fíli whispered as he and Bofur opened a door and slipped in.

     “Easy enough for him to say”, Bombur grunted and his foot got stuck when the door closed. “Ouch!”

     Fíli and Bofur turned around and started to pull Bombur off.

     “Whenever I’m in a hurry, I’ll always take me fat brother with me”, Bofur muttered. Fíli and Bombur told him to shut up.

     They walked along a long corridor and soon faced another pair of stairs. Fíli said they were to climb them.

     “I think I pulled a muscle”, Bombur said quietly.

     Bofur looked at him in horror. “I’m gonna die! I know it! I’m on a dangerous mission with a lame Dwarf! You’re gonna get us all killed!”

     “Shut it, you!” Fíli snapped.

     The next room was where Smaug kept his maps. Bofur and Bombur guarded the door while Fíli was picking out a map. He tried to be as quick as possible but there were so many to choose from. In the end after multiple hisses to hurry he chose a map with many red circles in it. It seemed quite perfect for their purpose.

     Of course, their luck didn’t last. They were almost out when their worst nightmare came true. Azog was standing right in front of them, speaking something in the Orc language that Fíli, Bofur and Bombur didn’t understand, but it didn’t exactly sound like an invitation over to five o’clock tea or anything.

     “Okay guys, we need to tackle him”, Fíli said. “Bofur, you go long; Bombur, you take the map. Ready?”

     During the attempt to beat Azog without weapons and get out of the fortress the three dwarves unknowingly invented a game now known as American football. And it worked. Three dwarves tossing around a rolled map was too much for Azog, no matter what he tried (of course, it helped that also he was, for some very queer reason, unarmed – this caused a lot of questions later, Fíli assumed he had thought he could take down three Dwarves easily without weapons), and after some time the dwarves got out and shut the doors with a loud bang. They yelled triumphantly and ran over to the garden to their usual place near the lake, beneath a rowan tree. Bilbo and Legolas joined them a few minutes later after making sure they weren’t followed.

     “We did it!” Bofur yelled. “We actually did it!”

     “And someone was so pessimistic about it”, Bilbo chuckled. “Well done, all of you!”

     “Well, now we have a map”, said Legolas. “Let us try to locate us.”

     Bombur opened the map (he’d got a hold of it after the last toss over Azog’s fat lump of a head) and they looked at it together. It was a map of the whole Middle-Earth, and thankfully in common tongue (though Legolas would’ve translated it, had it been in Elvish). Erebor was easy to locate, as were the Shire and Bag End. However, it took them at least fifteen minutes to realize where they were. Bofur was the first one to get it right.

     “It must be this circled thing here”, he pointed at a red circle at the southern end of Mirkwood forest. “Dol Guldur.”

     “You’re right, Bofur”, Legolas said. “You’re absolutely right. It makes sense, too. My father used to tell me stories about this place, how this once was the base of a Dark Lord. Not Smaug, of course, for this was a very long time ago. I’m talking about many millennia. I can’t remember the Dark Lord’s name, but it makes sense that Smaug would have his lair here. This is a place of very dark magic.”

     “So, what do we do now?” Fíli asked. “We can’t exactly just go to the orc guards or better yet, to Smaug, and say ‘We’re terribly sorry but we would like to leave about now.’”

     “That’s right”, Bofur said and thought of it for a moment. “But you two would definitely pass quite unnoticed”, he added to Legolas and Bilbo. “The Orcs rarely look at the sky, so you could fly to Erebor and Mirkwood and raise the alarm, especially now that we know how to navigate.”

     “Bofur, that’s utterly crazy”, said Legolas. “I love it, let’s do it, first thing tomorrow.”

     They all agreed, for it was very late afternoon, and it was a long way to both Erebor and Thranduil’s Hall. But that just meant they’d have all night to plot how to do everything and what to do in case of an emergency. Fíli, Bofur and Bombur also had to make up believable excuses in case Smaug would come and ask about Legolas and Bilbo’s absence. For hours they made up plans and excuses and shared some good laughs. They almost missed the rising of the moon, but luckily Bombur noticed it and noted it to everyone. Bilbo knew very well what he had to do, but poor Legolas had no idea where he should’ve been in order to change back. Some minutes later they figured he probably ought to stand about where he had stood when he had transformed for the first time. Legolas gave it a shot, and it worked. Bilbo smiled as he got out of the water and patted Legolas’ back.

     “Welcome back, both of ya”, Bofur grinned. “Gotta say, you were prettier to look at as an owl, Legolas.”

     “It is a shame, really, that Smaug didn’t cast a spell on you, too”, Legolas answered. “You would’ve made a nice little frog.”

     Fíli and Bombur burst into laughter and Bilbo tried not to smile. Bofur glared at Legolas for a moment but soon he started to laugh as well. The elf did have a sense of humour after all, even though it seemed to be a fairly twisted kind.

     Bofur and Bombur then started to make dinner, and Fíli left to keep guard in case Smaug would come. He’d left them in peace for many days now (no complaints there) but everyone rather had a forewarning than let him emerge right out of the blue. Meanwhile Bilbo and Legolas hid the map so that even if Smaug did come to accuse them of stealing, there would be no proof of it.

     “Bilbo, can I ask you something? Or actually quite a few things”, Legolas asked when they had found a hole in a pine tree where the map fit quite nicely.

     “Sure, go ahead”, Bilbo answered.

     “Why does Fíli call you ‘uncle’? Is it because you are to marry Thorin?”

     “Yes, I suppose so. He started calling me that the day we met, and it feels very nice. Fíli can be quite a nuisance from time to time, but he has a very good heart. He reminds me very much of Thorin’s late brother, Frerin. They’re both cheerful in the same way, as in a very un-Dwarf-like way. I can’t even begin to think how I would be now if I hadn’t met Fíli.”

     “You love him as if he were your own nephew”, Legolas said.

     Bilbo smiled. “That’s right, I do. And I’d also very much like to meet his younger brother Kíli. That is, if we ever manage to get out of here.”

     “We will”, Legolas assured. “We leave tomorrow and fly to Erebor and my realm, and we will also find a way to break the spells.”

     Legolas had already memorised how they should fly in order to reach Thranduil’s Halls and the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo didn’t say it out loud, but he was in fact quite terrified of the idea of seeing Thorin again. How much had he changed since they’d last met? Fíli had many times assured Bilbo that Thorin was indeed very much in love with him, but Bilbo still wasn’t sure if he should buy it as it was told. Last time he and Thorin had been in the same room they’d just fought again. Bilbo wasn’t sure if he could endure it if that happened once more. On the other hand Thorin had had twenty years to mature. Maybe they would be able to have a civilized conversation... And then Bilbo remembered that he’d be in his swan form. What if the Dwarven hunters thought he and Legolas were prey? No, he couldn’t go down that road. He just needed to concentrate that everything would turn out fine. Besides, they would first fly to Legolas’ home because it was closer to Dol Guldur (not much but enough), and the Elves could give the Dwarves a hint before-handed. It was going to be alright.

     “So, what’s your other question?” Bilbo asked.

     “Oh, if you don’t mind, why do Erebor and the Shire wish to unite?”

     “My mum said it was for mutual interests, trade and such. The Shire doesn’t have good military forces, and Erebor could provide us those in times of war, along with different sorts of products from blacksmiths. In return the Shire would provide Erebor with fresh agricultural products as Erebor doesn’t have the most prosperous agriculture.”

     Then Bofur and Bombur came to say that dinner was ready. It was quite a merry evening since they had accomplished so much earlier the day. Fíli was still very proud of the way they had beaten Azog without any weapons (“Serves him right!” Bofur said and patted Fíli’s back. “You did so well, laddie!”) and they talked about it over and over again, with Bofur describing how he had slid right through Azog’s spread legs with the map in his hands. Some other night everyone would’ve grown tired to Bofur’s bragging, but not that night. It brought everyone more hope than they’d had in years. Maybe they would finally outsmart Smaug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I used some lines from the film because they were so funny. I love the lame turtle thing Jean-Bob says.
> 
> A little preview of the next chapter: Kíli is bored, Thorin gets mad at the council, the Elves aren't happy to know their prince has gone missing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will include Tauriel, the she-Elf who will appear in Desolation of Smaug. As we don't know what sort of a person she will be, I took liberations on her character and made her what I imagine her to be. But rest assured that she will not be romantically attracted to any of the Dwarves in this story, nor will any of the Dwarves be romantically attracted to her. The reason is simply because the only Elf/Dwarf pairing I approve is Legolas/Gimli, because it's the only one that's at least moderately believable (who am I kidding, I totally support Legolas/Gimli).

Kíli was just about ready to fall asleep. He didn’t understand why Uncle Thorin had to drag him to all the dreary council meetings. It wasn’t like he’d be the heir to the throne or anything. Maybe Thorin just didn’t want to suffer alone. Kíli let out a deep sigh. It was so dull! He could be outside having fun with Ori and Gimli, but _no_! He had to be inside and attend the council meeting from which he didn’t understand even one fourth of things. Kíli leaned to his palm and looked around. No one seemed to be paying attention on him, so maybe they wouldn’t notice if he closed his eyes and took a short nap...

     Thorin, however, did notice it, and he kicked his nephew under the table to wake him up. Not that he actually blamed the lad. Thorin did remember how it was to be young and wanting to go on adventures rather than attend boring council meetings. But it was the tradition that the heir next in line to the throne would be there with the king. And as Fíli couldn’t make it for obvious reasons, Kíli had to do it whether he liked it or not.

     “So, have there been any official arrangements with the Shire about the union?” asked a council member whose name Thorin had accidentally forgotten.

     “No”, Thorin answered. “I have discussed with the queen about the matter and she says there can’t be any official arrangements until Bilbo is found.”

     “Surely you do not assume he is still alive”, said Gimli’s father, Glóin, who was the master of coin. “It has been twenty years, your majesty. It is highly unlikely that he would still be alive. There is no proof...”

     “There is also no proof that he would not be safe and sound, Master Glóin”, Thorin said with an icy tone. “The union is vital to both Erebor and the Shire, and I will see it happen. I will fulfil my duty as king, just wait and see.”

     None of the council members dared to say anything to this. Kíli had a smug smirk on his face. Thorin had showed them all that nobody should ever question him. Kíli had full trust on his uncle. Thorin had never failed his duties. They had taken a long time, perhaps, but never had there been a failure. Kíli was sure Thorin would see this through and find Bilbo, Bofur and Bombur... and Fíli, most importantly to Kíli, at least.

     Suddenly someone knocked the door. Dwalin came in and said, “Thorin, there’s someone out here to see you.”

     “We’re busy here, Dwalin”, Thorin sighed. “Can it not wait?”

     “No, she says it can’t”, Dwalin answered and looked like he was going to be a bit nauseous. A female voice shouted behind him, “If King Thorin won’t see me right now there will be an outright war between the Lonely Mountain and the Woodland Realm!”

     So, a she-Elf had arrived to Erebor. Thorin sighed deeply. The last thing he’d wanted was to get tangled with the pointy-eared bastards but apparently he had to. He dismissed the council apart from Kíli and Balin, and asked Dwalin to let the Elf in. She was quite agreeable for an Elf; she had long ginger hair and her eyes were stormy grey. She also seemed like a no-nonsense type of person, which would absolutely help getting along with her.

     “Right”, said Thorin. “What is this about? I wasn’t aware Thranduil was sending ambassadors.”

     “He did”, answered the Elf. “But not me. He sent his son, Legolas, here two days ago and we’ve heard nothing of him since. My name is Tauriel and I’m the Chief of the Guards in the King’s Halls. He sent me here to check the situation.”

     “Well, Prince Legolas isn’t here”, Kíli stated and looked at Thorin to seek some support. “You’re the first Elf to set their foot here in years, Miss Tauriel.”

     “Then where could he be?” Tauriel demanded.

     “That we cannot say”, Thorin said. “And we assure that we know nothing of Prince Legolas. So if you are trying to imply that we have done something to harm him, rest assured that it is not the case. It would be highly dishonourable. Dwarves are many things but dishonourable isn’t one of them.”

     Tauriel looked distressed. “Oh, Eru, then what could have happened to him?”

     “Well, do you know what road he used?” Balin asked kindly. “Maybe there would be some hints.”

      Tauriel thought of it for a moment and agreed a bit begrudgingly that Balin had a point. Then she also remembered something else. There had been a couple of reports of a red dragon flying over the forest near Thranduil’s Halls. The Dwarves looked at each other and thought the same. It had to be the same dragon that had snatched Bilbo. Maybe they would now get some hints of him as well. Thorin, Balin and Dwalin had a quick conversation in Khuzdul about the matter and whether or not they should trust this she-Elf. They agreed that it would probably be worth the risk.

     “It is settled, then”, said Thorin. “I and Dwalin shall accompany you down the road your prince most likely used. The dragon you mentioned was probably the same that snatched Prince Bilbo of the Shire twenty years ago, so maybe it also got Prince Legolas.”

     “That does make sense”, Tauriel stated. “Very well. I don’t like this but it looks like I don’t have other options. I just want Legolas back.”

     “Then we are in this together”, Thorin sighed. “Because I want Bilbo and my other nephew, Fíli, back.”

     “Don’t forget about Bofur and Bombur”, Dwalin added and Thorin added them to his list, tilting his head in acknowledgement to his best friend. Kíli stood up and asked if he could come along, but there were three yells of no at that. Thorin ordered Balin to keep an eye on not only Kíli but also Gimli. He would not want them to try to follow him, Dwalin and Tauriel on this mission because there was no telling how dangerous it would get.

     Thorin and Dwalin left for the stables to ready their ponies, Minty and Harley. Minty was getting a bit old, but she still was the fastest pony in Middle-Earth. Tauriel was waiting for them at the gates of Erebor on her palomino horse. She seemed to be quite uncomfortable there among the Dwarves. Thorin could very well understand it. He’d felt the same way last time he had been to Thranduil’s Halls. Not a place for dwarves, he had thought back then. The whole idea of going to Mirkwood again made him shudder, but as Tauriel had said, there were no other options.

     “Shall we?” Tauriel asked.

     “Let’s go”, Thorin agreed.

     They galloped off, but they didn’t get very far. They were a bit past the city of Dale, on their way to Mirkwood, when Thorin suddenly halted and turned around. Dwalin halted Harley and asked, “Thorin, what is it? You know we must hurry.”

     “We’re being followed”, Thorin said with a smirk. “Kíli, Gimli, I know you’re there! Come on out!”

     They heard some grunting (“Dammit, Gimli!”) and soon Kíli and Gimli emerged from a bush a couple of yards behind them. How the two of them had managed to follow them so quickly, Thorin did not know, but that didn’t matter. He looked at the lads sternly and asked why the word “no” was so hard to understand. Thorin had been quite clear when he had forbidden Kíli to come along. It had naturally applied also to Gimli.

     “You two are impossible”, Thorin huffed. “Now go, and Mahal forbid you to do any more stupidities like this one. Do you think I and Glóin forbid you to do this and that out of spite?”

     “No, your majesty”, Gimli muttered after developing a sudden interest in his boots.

     “Good. Now just be happy I don’t have you both grounded until the day your beards become grey.”

     Kíli and Gimli grumbled a bit but they did as Thorin told them and left back to the Lonely Mountain. Thorin shook his head at them and sighed. They were good lads with good hearts, he gave them that, but they were simply too young to attend anything this risky. Under any other circumstances Thorin could’ve taken at least Kíli with him but right now he did not wish to risk his nephew’s safety. One missing nephew was far more than enough. Thorin made sure the lads were going back to the mountain before he, Dwalin and Tauriel took off again. Once in Mirkwood Tauriel dismounted her horse and sent it to Thranduil’s Halls. She would carry on tracking on foot.

     Mirkwood wasn’t exactly the most beautiful place in Middle-Earth. It was dark and dreary and last time Thorin had been there he had nearly fallen into a trap of some giant spiders. That he did not wish to experience again and after the incident he had been suffering from a bad arachnophobia, which wasn’t funny even though Dwalin seemed to think so. Tauriel, on the other hand, seemed to understand this and even though she clearly wanted to say something sharp as Thorin reluctantly admitted to have a phobia, she didn’t. As for the reason why, Thorin couldn’t say. Elves sure were a peculiar lot.

     “Right, now you two just stay right behind me”, said Tauriel as they ventured deeper into the woods. “If you get lost, there’s not telling whether or not you’ll find your way out of these woods. And stay cautious.”

     “We’re not stupid, Elf”, Dwalin retorted.

     “Oh, really? Could’ve fooled me.”

     Dwalin gritted his teeth but held his tongue (perhaps for the first time of his life). Bickering would be absolutely no use and they couldn’t linger. They had to find the place where Prince Legolas most likely had been captured. And after some hours of search they did. It was an open place, somehow more beautiful than most of Mirkwood as there was light and even some flowers, but the sight they beheld was a miserable one. For Thorin it was like returning to the day Bilbo had disappeared and Frerin had died. Tauriel gasped in horror and ran to see the bodies of the Elf guards closer. She seemed close to desperate.

     “Who could’ve done this?” she asked, her voice thick. “Many of these elves were my friends.”

     “It must be Smaug”, Thorin said. “Has to be. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

     Tauriel looked up to Thorin (she was kneeling beside a body of an Elf who looked very much like her – her brother, Thorin and Dwalin assumed) and said with a shaky voice, “You... could it be... you lost someone dear to you... the same way?”

     Thorin nodded. “I don’t know what the connection between Smaug and the dragon is, but we must find out. This cannot be just a coincidence.”

     Dwalin and Tauriel agreed. Tauriel got back on her feet and whistled. As soon as a raven appeared, she sent a message for King Thranduil to come collect the bodies for proper funeral. That was the most she could do – the most the three of them could do. Now they had other things to take care of. This was now a personal matter to Tauriel as well, so she swore to help Thorin and Dwalin find Bilbo and their lost kin, as it was most likely that if they found them, they would also find Legolas. Thorin and Dwalin agreed to take Tauriel’s aid. It was a lot easier to wander in Mirkwood with a guide and in truth, neither of the dwarves was much of a tracker. And so they started hunting. They sent Minty and Harley back to Erebor (Tauriel promised they would find their way back home) as the woods started to get thick. Thorin grasped the hilt of his sword, Orcrist, as it gave him courage and confidence. Tauriel said she had a vague idea of Smaug’s whereabouts. There was this fortress called Dol Guldur in the southwest part of Mirkwood forest. It was a place of dark magic, so it would make sense if it indeed was Smaug’s lair. Thorin and Dwalin asked why the elves hadn’t told them this during their earlier adventures in the forest. Tauriel shrugged and said that it was probably because before today the disappearances of Prince Bilbo and Prince Fíli had been none of their business.

     “Elves”, Dwalin grunted under his breath. “Hate them.”

     “So do I but let’s just suck it”, Thorin answered. “This is our best lead so far, we cannot let it slip away.”

     Dwalin muttered something very insulting in Khuzdul but there was no way he’d let his best friend out of his sight. He’d stick by Thorin’s side no matter what. Thorin patted Dwalin’s shoulder as they followed Tauriel. The Elf had her bow and arrows at the ready in case they’d encounter some spiders... or something worse. Thorin and Dwalin didn’t really want to know what the “worse” could be. They just tried to keep up as Tauriel’s pace got faster (very annoyingly).

     Still, as much as they disliked it, they felt safer with the she-Elf. Tauriel wasn’t very talkative (no complaints there) but she proved to be a very trustworthy guide. With her in the lead they managed to avoid dangerous ponds and poisonous bushes and still remain in the right direction. It was a long way to Dol Guldur, but Tauriel knew some nice shortcuts so that the journey wouldn’t take weeks and weeks. As the night fell they put up a camp and decided to take turns at watch. However, Tauriel refused to be given shorter turns just because she was female.

     “Dwarves”, she muttered. “No idea how to treat other races.”

     Thorin and Dwalin huffed. They had only tried to be polite. However, Tauriel took the first watch of the night, which was good because the Dwarves were tired. The day had been a long one.

     The next days weren’t that different from the first. They were now deep in Mirkwood, heading for southwest. Thorin and Tauriel would occasionally look up to the sky whenever they could see it, wondering if the red dragon would appear. They were in the right direction, Tauriel assured. She knew the forest better than her own pockets. Dwalin raised an eyebrow at that note, but Thorin was secretly very thankful for it. His sense of direction was simply terrible. Once when he had been exploring Hobbiton alone, he had got lost. Twice, actually. It had been most embarrassing, especially because Bilbo, Frerin and Dís had laughed for hours after he had finally found his way back to Bag End. Oh, what Thorin would give to get those days back...

     At the dawn of eighth say they could finally see it in the horizon. Dol Guldur. Even from a great distance the fortress seemed very unwelcoming. Even Dwalin shivered at the sight.

     “Well, here we are, almost”, said Tauriel. “Oh, I wish I could just turn around and leave.”

     She didn’t, though. None of them did. At this point they could not turn back. It would be stupid to do so, especially since they had learned to put up with each other. Tauriel still clearly disliked Thorin and Dwalin, and vice versa, but there was no hostility any longer.

     All of the sudden at around noon Tauriel shot an arrow up to the sky. She had seen something reddish. It had been only a glimpse but she was sure that whatever it had been it came from Dol Guldur. The three of them stayed where they were, looking at the sky cautiously. There was another glimpse and another arrow shot. Tauriel cursed a little. She didn’t usually miss her target like this. They started to run towards the fortress when they finally saw what the elf had tried to shoot. A snowy owl and a swan, their feathers most likely turned red by the sunlight. Both birds fluttered their wings for a while and then turned around to fly towards Dol Guldur. Tauriel and Dwalin sighed deeply at the disappointment that it hadn’t been the dragon after all, but Thorin started to follow the birds. He wasn’t exactly sure why, he just did. It was very foolhardy, he knew it (oh, Kíli would kill him if he knew), especially when hearing Dwalin’s angry shouts, but there was something about that swan that made Thorin curious and suspicious at the same time.

     He wasn’t able to say how long he ran but it must have been for very long, since it was sunset when Dol Guldur finally was in front of his eyes. He heard Dwalin and Tauriel yelling insults somewhere quite far off – very nasty insults at that. Thorin wasn’t paying attention. He’d lost the sight of the swan and the owl but he was sure they were there somewhere. The place was actually quite beautiful. There were plenty of different trees, lots of flowers and a shimmering lake. Thorin sat on the ground behind a raspberry bush and panted. Dwarves really weren’t made to run long distances as they were more of natural sprinters.

     “I must be out of my mind”, Thorin muttered to himself. He wasn’t completely sure what to make of the place. Sure, it was beautiful as stated before, but there was something wrong with it, like there had been forces that didn’t belong there (not that it was surprising as Tauriel had said it was a place of dark magic). Thorin remained in the bush for a couple more minutes to balance his breathing. It was starting to get dark and if his eyes didn’t betray him, the moon was rising. With his had still on the hilt of Orcrist he stood up, meaning to take his leave, when he saw the swan and the owl again. They seemed to be having a verbal fight about something (which was ridiculous because neither swans nor owls could talk, but that was what it looked like). The swan seemed to huff impatiently at the owl and then flew to the lake. As soon as the moonlight touched its wings there was a light so bright that Thorin had to cover his eyes and turn around. It damn nearly burned his eyes. The light ceased as quickly as t had appeared, and Thorin felt like it would be safe to take his hand off of his eyes. When he turned to see the lake again, he saw something he hadn’t expected to see except in his dreams. He stared at the sight in wonder.

     “Bilbo?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm evil, I know. Be prepared for the big fluffy Bagginshield reunion in the next chapter (which I'd been burning to write ever since I started this story).
> 
> Oh, it will be pointed out in the next chapter, but Legolas was in the fortress unconscious for some days before Smaug dumped him to the garden with Bilbo and the three dwarves, just so that you won't be confused of the timing (since it was eight days after Thorin and Dwalin left Erebor but only two days of the planning to get the hell out of Dol Guldur). (Did anyone understand even a bit what I'm trying to babble here?)
> 
> Oh, and I named Dwalin's pony Harley because Graham McTavish (the actor of Dwalin) said he wanted to name his pony that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: extremely fluffy big reunion scene. If you are overly sensitive to that sort, read only on your own responsibility. Ye have been warned.
> 
> Anyway, I originally planned to write this only for about these five chapters but this story just kept growing and growing... so obviously it will be longer than just five chapters. I think, though, that nobody has anything against that xD

Bilbo and Legolas took off first thing in the morning – oh, alright, second thing. They ate first. They had woken up long before the three Dwarves so that they’d reach Thranduil’s Halls the same day. It was a long way but they would make it since they left early. Bilbo had never flown a distance that long – actually he’d never flown outside the garden of Dol Guldur before. He was very nervous about it since he wasn’t sure his wings could carry him all the way. But the risk had to be taken.

     “Take it easy, Bilbo”, Legolas said. “We will be just fine. And I promised Fíli I would keep you safe. Actually he threatened to pluck me and fry my legs in butter if I let something happen to you.”

     Bilbo rolled his eyes. That was so like Fíli. Then he and Legolas flew over Mirkwood. He’d never had a feeling like that before. It was weird and wonderful at the same time. Bilbo was a Hobbit, and Hobbits were meant to stay on the ground, so it felt weird to fly that high. The wonderful part was the sensation of flying on the sky of rising sun and feeling the wind in his feathers. It felt so natural that Bilbo couldn’t help a laugh. Legolas was a bit less confident on his wings but he seemed to enjoy the flying as well. And Bofur had been right: the Orc guards did not have the wit to look up. It was a huge relief – Bilbo had admittedly been afraid they would look up and shoot him and Legolas down. Soon Dol Guldur was behind and, oh yes, the world was ahead. At around noon they passed the lodgings of woodmen.

     “Best if we’re careful in case of hunters”, Bilbo said to Legolas.

     “Be at ease, Bilbo, I can sense hunters miles and miles away – EEEK!”

     An arrow had just missed Legolas’ head. He fluttered his wings and looked around wildly. That had been way too close. Bilbo muttered something like “I told you to be careful” and then ducked right on time as another arrow was shot towards them. Bilbo and Legolas looked at each other and flew closer to see where the arrow had come from. They sure weren’t expecting to see an Elf and two Dwarves – even if weirder things _had_ happened in their lives. Bilbo was even more surprised when he actually recognised the Dwarves. Not that he could actually mistake Thorin and Dwalin for anyone else but still, they hated Mirkwood. So why were they there?

     “She tried to shoot _me_ ”, Legolas whimpered. “Why would she do that?”

     “Uh, I assume you mean that she-Elf”, Bilbo stated. “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, you look like a bird.”

     “But still, I thought Tauriel had more sense in her head.”

     “It’s easy to make mistakes. Come on, we must turn back.”

     Legolas looked at Bilbo who had started to head back to Dol Guldur. “What? Why don’t we stay and explain things to them now?”

     Bilbo huffed. Legolas certainly knew nothing of the world. “They have weapons, we look like birds, and they might as well try to kill us for supper. No, we must go back. At this rate we will make it back to the lake by the time the moon rises.”

     Legolas looked back and saw Thorin following them. Ah yes, he started to understand what Bilbo was meaning. Well, that was quite an excellent plan B. They flew slowly enough for Thorin not to lose his sight of them but fast enough to reach the lake in time. And that they did. Sun was setting when they were back to Dol Guldur. Fíli, Bofur and Bombur were at the rowan tree to meet them. All three of them were confused why Legolas and Bilbo were back so soon.

     “Thorin is coming”, Bilbo said and a smile spread on Fíli’s face.

     “Really? That’s great! Okay, I’ll see you all later. I’ve got a letter to write.”

     Fíli left and Bofur and Bombur remained, both very excited about this turn of events. But Legolas was a bit unsure and he asked if Bilbo was sure of what he was trying to do. “You said it yourself, what if he tries to attack you when you’re still a swan?” Bilbo huffed impatiently and said that it was going to be alright. They didn’t see where Thorin was but as Bofur pointed out, the moon was rising. All Bilbo had to do was to fly to the lake and let the moonlight do the rest. Legolas sighed but agreed. And he could go try to see if Tauriel was somewhere close. She was, after all, one of his best friends. Bilbo took a deep breath and flew to the lake (Fíli came back at the same time because he didn’t want to miss this). Bilbo noticed that Thorin was standing in a raspberry bush near the lake. This was going far better than he had ever imagined. As soon as Bilbo landed on the water’s surface the transformation began. His stomach was bubbling with excitement, and all his previous nervousness had disappeared, thankfully. The transformation felt a lot better than usually and he let out a joyous laugh. When it was done, Bilbo looked up to see Thorin. The dwarf king stared at him, eyes wide of the astonishment.

     “Bilbo?”

     “Hello, Thorin”, Bilbo answered with a shy smile on his face. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. It had been twenty years, what were they supposed to say to each other?

     Thorin was the first to regain his voice. “You! What were you doing?”

     “Umm...”

     “You could’ve got yourself killed that day!” Thorin interrupted. “Did I not say you would be a burden? That our parents were wrong all along? That there would never be a real chance for us?”

     Fíli, Bofur and Bombur looked at each other in horror, and Legolas was just about ready to shoot Thorin if he’d had a bow and some arrows. This wasn’t how it should’ve gone. Bilbo pressed his lips together and looked down. Thorin took a deep breath, walked closer and said something no one expected to hear.

     “I have never been so wrong in all my life.”

     Thorin wrapped his arms around Bilbo and embraced him tightly, as if he would never let go of him again. Bilbo shivered from the overflowing emotions as he buried his face in Thorin’s fur and hair. They smelled like they hadn’t been washed for several days, but Bilbo didn’t mind. The scent was familiar, it was all Thorin, and Thorin was there holding him tightly and murmuring something in Khuzdul to his ear. Bilbo didn’t recognize the words but they sounded like words of endearment. And that they were. Fíli, Bofur and Bombur had turned around and disappeared to the berry bushes, not wanting to cause any kind of disturbance, and Legolas had gone to see if Tauriel and Dwalin were there soon. They all were so relieved and happy that Thorin had just been playing a trick on them. Fíli glanced quickly over his shoulder one more time and smiled. Now he really had a reason to call Bilbo his uncle.

     Thorin and Bilbo broke apart so they could see each other. Thorin had something like tears shimmering in his eyes.

     “I thought I’d lost you forever, _ghivashel_ ”, he said. “Can you ever forgive me my stupidity?”

     “Of course”, Bilbo answered. “I was stupid as well. I should’ve stayed, try to reason with you... We both messed things up, making them more complicated than they were.”

     Thorin chuckled. “I simply hate it when Dís and Dwalin are right. You should’ve heard them yelling at me that day. They made me feel like I were about one inch tall.”

     “Serves you right”, Bilbo muttered, trying not to laugh. Thorin’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

     “What was that, Halfling?”

     “Nothing...”

     “You did not just make fun of me!”

     “And what if I did?” Bilbo asked, eyes sparkling with humour. Thorin couldn’t help a laugh and would’ve hugged Bilbo again if the hobbit hadn’t pulled him closer from his braids and kissed him. Thorin was stiffened from shock for about half a second and then leaned in to deepen the kiss. Neither of them would’ve normally been that bold but they had done their waiting, twenty years of it. The kiss was soft but also very passionate, containing all the feelings they had suppressed all those years. Thorin ran his fingers through Bilbo’s curls and moaned softly against his lips. Neither of them had ever thought it would feel so good, so right. Bilbo had placed his left hand on Thorin’s chest and the right in his black mane of hair, never wanting to let go. This was where they belonged.

     “Oh, by Mahal”, Thorin managed to say when they eventually had to break apart to catch some air. “I can’t believe I would’ve once chosen the Arkenstone over this. I swear I’ll never make that mistake again.”

     “Good”, Bilbo said, just as breathless as Thorin. “Because I don’t want to lose you ever again.”

     They were silent for a moment until Bilbo continued, “By the way, why were you in Mirkwood? And even more, why were you there with an Elf? I thought you hated them.”

     “I still do”, Thorin answered with a slight grunt. “That Elf, Tauriel, came to Erebor eight days ago, telling us Prince Legolas had gone missing, and that there had been reports of a red dragon flying over the woods near Thranduil’s Halls. I saw this as a chance to look for you and Fíli, so I and Dwalin left Erebor with that blasted elf. So, what about you? How did you end up here and what is the deal with the swan and the snowy owl?”

     Bilbo’s face darkened a bit. “That’s Smaug’s way to keep me and Legolas here. He cast a spell on us, so when the moon stops shining over the lake, we transform. And if we want to change back, we have to be here. Today was an exception. Our original plan was to fly to Thranduil’s Halls and to Erebor since we finally got a map. I can tell you, you lose your sense of direction if you’re stuck in here for twenty years.”

     “So, Legolas is here, then”, Thorin said. “What about Fíli? Is he here too?”

     “Yes, he is”, Bilbo answered, smile returning to his face. “He’s a good lad, very brave and cheerful. Reminds me a lot of Frerin. He’s been a real joy for us – that is, me, Bofur and Bombur. They’re here as well.”

     Thorin let out a sigh of relief. Now he knew where everyone was, so that problem was solved. Getting everyone away from Dol Guldur was another thing. And if Bilbo and Legolas really couldn’t leave... Well, it sure made things more complicated.

     “Is there a way to break the spell?” Thorin asked.

     Bilbo shook his head. “We don’t know. Fíli tried to find Smaug’s spell books a few days back, but that confounded wizard must have hidden them somewhere.”

     “May Smaug eternally burn in the fires of Mount Doom”, Thorin growled. “But there must be a way!”

     “I know, Thorin”, Bilbo sighed. “And trust me, it’s not like we wouldn’t have tried to break it already.”

     Thorin thought of it for a moment and then it dawned to him. “I have an idea”, he said. “It’s bound to take some time, but hopefully it will work. The archives of Erebor, there must be some information. And I could have Tauriel check Thranduil’s archives as well.”

     Bilbo’s face lit up. “That’s brilliant! You must leave, then. I want to be rid of this spell as soon as possible, and I’d imagine so does Legolas.”

     Thorin hugged Bilbo once more and whispered, “I just wish you could come with me, _uzayang_.”

     “So do I, Thorin. So do I”, Bilbo said and leaned in to kiss him.

     Meanwhile Legolas had found both Tauriel and Dwalin (and received a thorough yelling from Tauriel to make her worry so much; “Legolas Greenleaf! Where in Eru’s name have you been for _eight days_?!”) and explained them the situation. Dwalin would’ve probably challenged Smaug to a duel immediately if Bofur and Bombur hadn’t emerged and told him no. Smaug was too powerful, Dwalin would never stand a chance. There was a close to endless list of what Smaug had done to those who had dared to oppose him (apparently his favourite method to kill those Orcs who had failed him was incineration).

     “Well, what do we do then?” Dwalin asked.

     “You should leave”, Legolas said. “Not permanently, of course”, he added when both Dwalin and Tauriel opened their mouths to protest, “just until you’ve found a way to break the spells. I know you won’t like it, but you must work together.”

     Tauriel gave Dwalin a short glance. “We’ve managed not to kill each other for this long, I think I can put up with the Dwarves for a bit longer.”

      “Gotta admit, for a tree-shagger you’re not all that bad”, Dwalin grinned and enjoyed Tauriel’s annoyed expression.

      “On second thought...”

     “Hey, would you just quit it?” Bofur asked. “You’ve got work to do. Me, Fíli and my bro here will be just fine, but you gotta do this for Bilbo and Legolas.”

     Tauriel sighed and agreed. On one condition, though: Dwalin would stop calling her a tree-shagger. “I’ve never shagged a thing in my entire life!” Legolas, Bofur and Bombur shared a worried glance. At this rate they’d have to stay there for another twenty years. Dwalin did agree with Tauriel’s condition, though, for he wanted to get his friends out of the damn place as soon as possible.

     “I’ll come with you to Erebor”, Tauriel said. “You must have books and parchment rolls in Elvish and you’ll need someone to translate them.”

     “Oh, good”, said Thorin who had just appeared from the bushes with Bilbo. “So you came up with the same plan as I did. Now I don’t have to ask you to come and translate.”

      Tauriel smiled good-naturedly. “And I’ll have my cousin at the archives of King’s Halls to check our old spell books as well. I wouldn’t bother otherwise, but we want our prince back.” She looked at Legolas with utmost respect.

     “Where’s Fíli, by the way?” Thorin asked.

     “He said he’d be writing a letter”, Bombur answered.

     “A letter?”

     “Yes”, said Fíli out of the blue. He had somehow managed to sneak behind his uncle and admittedly gave him quite a start. “Hello, Uncle Thorin. Good to see you.”

     Thorin hugged his nephew. “You too, my dear boy. I’m sorry I can’t stay for longer.”

     “It’s alright”, Fíli smiled. Then he passed Thorin the letter he had written. “Give this to Kíli, and tell him and Mum that I’m right as rain and they’ve got nothing to worry about.”

     “Oh, tell my mother the same”, Bilbo added.

     “I will see both done”, Thorin promised. “Protect Bilbo in my stead in return, Fíli.”

     Fíli gave his solemn word to keep Bilbo safe the best he could. He’d managed to do pretty good job with it so far, and it wasn’t actually the hardest job in the world. Fíli liked Bilbo a lot, so he promised Thorin that if anyone so much as pulled a hair off Bilbo’s head, he’d kill them with his bare hands. Thorin laughed a bit before he, Dwalin and Tauriel really had to leave. They had work to do, lots of it.

     After Thorin, Dwalin and Tauriel had disappeared to the woods, Fíli turned to see Bilbo. “See? I told you Uncle Thorin loved you so very much!”

     “So you did”, Bilbo smiled. “Thank you, and I’m sorry I didn’t fully believe you at first.”

     “Never mind that”, Fíli said. “I’m just happy that you and Uncle Thorin are happy. Anyway, how was it?”

     “How was what?”

     “The kiss of course! Did Uncle do it right?”

     Bilbo laughed. “Oh yes, he did it just right.” He ruffled Fíli’s golden mane. “Now we only have to wait for a while.”

     That statement made everyone sigh. Nobody knew how long it would take until Thorin had managed to discover a way to break the spells – or how long it would take to actually break them. Spells weren’t known to be easily broken, and with Bilbo’s luck Smaug had made these ones very difficult indeed. Bilbo’s luck hadn’t been very marvellous for these past years, if some strokes of sheer dumb luck weren’t counted in.

     Fíli, however, was just as optimistic as ever, and so was also Bofur. They both had full trust in their king (and Dwalin – and also in Tauriel, though this they never admitted). Fíli wrapped his left arm around Bilbo’s shoulders and told him that Uncle Thorin would return before long and break the spell. “And then you’ll get married and live happily ever after like people in the stories Mum used to tell me and Kíli when we were younger!”

      Bilbo, Bofur, Bombur and Legolas laughed and said that no matter how much Fíli tried to act like an adult, he still was a child at heart. Fíli was jokingly offended by this, making his most adorable I’m-not-a-child pout (which he had learned from Kíli who had developed pouting into a form of art).

     “Oh no, don’t you dare make that face again!” Bilbo scolded.

     “But Uncle Bilbo…”

     “Fíli, that’s not how the heir to the throne should act. Maybe I need to point it out to Thorin when he comes here next time. Or better yet, I’ll tell your mother.”

     Fíli turned pale. He could easily let Bilbo or Thorin scold him, that was just fine, but not his mother. Dís was the only person alive of whom even Thorin was afraid, and for a good reason. Dís had good lungs and when she started to yell at someone, she really yelled.

      “No, Uncle Bilbo! Whatever else but not that!”

     “I want to meet Fíli’s mother”, Legolas muttered to Bofur and Bombur. “She must be quite a Dwarf lady to make Fíli tremble like that.”

     “Aye, that she is”, Bombur said. “Lady Dís is the most astonishing Dwarf lady ever to live in the Lonely Mountain.”

     In the end Bilbo let Fíli off the hook, and the five of them laughed a little more as they moved to dinner. Nobody knew when Bombur had had the time to prepare everything there was but they knew better than to ask. Bombur never told them, just winked and said it was “a chef’s secret”. Fíli did ask everyone to remind him to suggest promoting Bombur into Erebor’s head chef once they’d be freed, though. And Bilbo was a lot happier than he had been in all those years, it was like he couldn’t stop smiling…

     “Well, well, well, having a bit of fun, are we here?”

     Fíli made such a sudden move to shield Bilbo that their dinners fell all over the ground. Bombur grasped his iron ladle just in case, Bofur moved closer to Bilbo and Fíli, and Legolas just sat there with a cold look in his blue eyes.

     “What do you want, Smaug?” the Elven prince asked with an extremely icy tone.

     “Oh, nothing, just making sure you have everything you need”, Smaug answered, leaning to his long wooden staff with a cruel smile on his lips.

     “Well, that we do, so good night”, Fíli retorted and waved his hand like he’d try to repel an annoying dog.

     “Now, young Fíli, that is quite harsh and impolite of you!”

     “Look who talks”, Fíli muttered.

     “What do you really want, Smaug?” Bilbo asked. “You never come unless there is something you want or you have something to brag about.”

     “Do you really think that little of me?” Smaug asked and looked very offended. “I am simply making sure you all are comfortable.”

     “That we are, so thank you and goodbye”, Bofur snapped.

     Smaug rubbed his chin and sighed with mocked dramatics. “Fine, fine. I did not wish to interrupt your very busy night of remembering _the smell of sweat and dirt and rough manhood_ anyway, Bilbo.”

     Bilbo, and also Fíli, stiffened at hearing that. _Smaug knew!_ But how? He hadn’t been there all week, and there had been no orcs to tattle, either. Legolas was the only one to remain calm. Bofur and Bombur looked at each other, also horrified that Smaug knew. Legolas just kept looking at Smaug coldly.

     “We have no idea what you are blabbering about”, he said. “And if you insist going on with the madness, just let us find some earplugs first.”

     “Oh, I do think you all have an idea of what I’m speaking of”, Smaug laughed. “I must say, it probably was the kiss of the century. Very heart-warming, that Dwarf king’s love for you, Bilbo. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter at long run. It will fade away, as love always does.”

     “Don’t you dare speak to Uncle Bilbo like that!” Fíli snarled.

     “Fíli, calm down”, Bilbo said. “Smaug, you know as well as I do that every spell can be broken. I don’t deny the fact that Thorin was here tonight. He knows everything now and you should know that he will stop at nothing to free us. Which he will do. Dwarves are famous of their stubbornness, and Thorin is the most stubborn Dwarf of them all.”

     “Perhaps, but do you actually think I would let him succeed? I once swore to take over Erebor and destroy everything King Thráin’s son loves. I am already halfway there. I have his betrothed and his heir as hostage and I have killed his dear brother. Oh, him I remember very well. That Dwarf knew how to fight back, I give him that.”

     Bilbo’s face went pale. “It was you who killed Frerin?”

     “Me!” Smaug announced. “And now one thing remains to be done: to make sure ‘King’ Thorin will never find happiness–”

     “No!” Fíli shouted and stepped between Bilbo and Smaug. “I will kill you if you touch Uncle Bilbo!”

     Smaug just laughed and stated that he found Fíli very amusing. “How are you going to kill me without any weapons? And I assure you, mere physical power will not be enough to kill me, the most powerful wizard in this Middle-Earth!” Fíli remained in his position, carrying out the promise he’d given to Thorin the same evening. Smaug sneered.

     “So be it”, he said. “Azog! Cut off the braids of this cheeky Dwarf.”

     Fíli’s eyes grew wide as he saw Azog coming closer with a long knife in his hand. Bofur and Bombur were also shocked. Cutting off a Dwarf’s braids was the worst insult there was, not even mentioning how humiliating it was regardless the situation. And yet Fíli wouldn’t budge. Legolas made a stirring move towards Azog but Fíli raised his hand to tell him no.

     “I promised Uncle Thorin I’d keep Bilbo safe”, he said, not showing any emotions. “If this is the price I have to pay, I will do it.”

     “Brave lad”, Smaug mocked. “He is all yours, Azog.”

     And just as Azog grabbed Fíli’s hair and raised his knife to chop off his long braids, Bilbo screamed, “No! Don’t do it!”

     “Oh? And what do you suggest we do instead?” Smaug asked after he had gestured Azog to stop.

     “I don’t care what happens to me, just don’t hurt Fíli, please”, Bilbo pleaded. Smaug smiled and raised his hand to perform a spell. Azog kicked Fíli out of the way as Smaug began to mumble something nobody could understand (except Legolas who looked upset at the words he heard). Bofur helped Fíli back on his feet, only to tackle him again as he tried to struggle to protect Bilbo.

     “Uncle Bilbo! No!” Fíli cried. Bilbo smiled sadly as Smaug’s spell made him disappear. Smaug and Azog disappeared as well just before Bombur’s iron ladle hit them. Bombur cursed when he picked it up from the ground. He had been only a second late. Fíli was sobbing against Bofur’s shoulder. Bofur would’ve probably burst into tears himself, but he had to stay strong for Fíli’s sake. The lad needed him.

     “It’s going to be okay, Fíli”, Bofur murmured to the lad’s ear. “We will find him.”

     “It’s not that”, Fíli said, his voice thick from tears. “I’ve failed both my uncles. How can I ever face them again?”

     “You haven’t failed them”, Legolas said. “You were ready to sacrifice your braids – and without a doubt your life – to protect Bilbo. That doesn’t count for failing someone in my eyes. Besides, I understood most of Smaug’s spell and Bilbo is quite safe.”

     Fíli looked up to the elf. “Where is he, then?”

     “He is in the most guarded dungeon in the fortress. And we will get him back. Now all we need to do is to figure out how we do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me/kill me! The drama had to happen. Trust me, I didn't like writing it. I wanted this chapter to be all about kissing and hugging and other canoodling but the bloody characters took it to that point. And Smaug had to make an appearance finally.
> 
> And I have a thing for Khuzdul words of endearment. I don't know why, I just do. They sound so lovely. There will be more of that sort (thank goodness for online Khuzdul dictionaries).
> 
> Ghivashel = treasure of all treasures
> 
> Uzayang = greatest love
> 
> I do not own Thorin's line from The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. I only own the modifications I made to it so it would fit. I love that scene so much.
> 
> And Fíli is adorable. Just wanted to add that. The thing between Fíli and Bofur is that Bofur does this and that to impress Fíli (which more often than not does not work out the way he planned) and Fíli's just pretty damn shy. You cute assholes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a real bitch when I wrote it, just saying. I remember writing this chapter was pretty much awful because all I could think of was, "Only two chapters left! I can't believe it! I only just started this silly AU!"
> 
> Oh, and I hope you're not too confused with the times. Basic rule is that it's always later the same month in Dol Guldur than it is in Erebor.
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my younger sister who is my Kíli. I love you, baby sis (she must be scowling at me right now xD)

In eight days Thorin, Dwalin and Tauriel were back to Erebor. Thorin rushed straight into the archives, asking Dwalin to tell Kíli he could find him there. Dwalin nodded and went looking for the lad and also Dís. Tauriel was utterly flabbergasted for being left alone like that. She huffed in irritation. How was she supposed to send a raven to her cousin if she didn’t know where the birds were? In the end she had to ask for directions.

     “Hey, you, Dwarf!” Tauriel exclaimed to a Dwarf who had an odd star-like hairdo.

     “Hey, you, Elf, I have a name”, the Dwarf scoffed. “It’s Nori, not ‘dwarf’.”

     “Whatever”, Tauriel retorted. “Where do you keep your ravens? I must send a message.”

     “Do I look like an information stand?” Nori demanded.

     “Yes, very much so”, Tauriel said, narrowing her eyes. “Tell me quickly or I’ll tell King Thorin that a Dwarf who looked like a starfish prevented me from helping him in his attempt to save the Heir under the Mountain and the heir of the Shire.”

     Nori snorted but gave Tauriel the directions to the raven chamber. He was quite surprised when the she-Elf actually had the courtesy to thank him. Tauriel rushed to the chamber and wrote a letter to her cousin as quickly as she could without writing getting messy. They couldn’t waste time for nonsense. After sending the raven off to Mirkwood Tauriel ran to the archives. On her way she bumped into Thorin’s younger nephew (Kíli, Tauriel tried to make the name stick in her head), Dwalin, and a Dwarf lady whose resemblance to Kíli was uncanny so she must have been his mother.

     “Sent the message?” Dwalin asked. Tauriel nodded. “Good. Come on.”

     Tauriel followed the Dwarves into the archives. The room was very large and Tauriel was amazed of the amount of books and parchment rolls it held, and their good condition. Apparently not all Dwarves were brutes who only cared about gems and precious metals. Tauriel hated to admit it but she was very impressed of the room. Thorin had already filled the tables with different literal accounts and was now collecting some more from the shelves.

     “Can I please now get an explanation to all this?” Dís asked.

     “Wow, someone’s been busy”, Dwalin commented.

     “I didn’t do it all by myself”, Thorin answered and came into sight with a pile of heavy books in his lap. “Young Ori helped me pick out the books. That lad sure knows his way around here. I might give him the responsibility of this place when he comes of age.”

     “Thorin Oakenshield! Now tell me what in Mahal’s name is going on or I’ll cut off your braids!” Dís yelled.

     Thorin put the books on the table near him (Tauriel started to devour one immediately, not wanting to waste any time) and told Dís and Kíli the whole story. Dís almost started to cry when Thorin told her about Fíli and Bilbo, and Kíli didn’t even bother to stop tears from falling when Thorin gave him the letter Fíli had written.

     “So he is alright”, Kíli said with a sigh of relief. “And Uncle Bilbo? What are you going to do about him?”

     “Well, breaking the spell would be a start”, Thorin answered. “Now we just need to find out how to do it. Will you help us, Kíli?”

     “Sure thing! Finally I can do something to help!”

     “Let’s get to work, then”, said Tauriel, pointing at the books on the table with a smirk. “Go on. They’re books. They’re not going to bite you.”

     Kíli flashed an irritated look at her, grabbed the nearest book and started to read. Or actually he faked reading at first because he had to see what Fíli had written to him. No one took any notice to this. Dwalin helped to carry more books and Dís was already reading. At some point Balin and Ori joined them. As the two of them spent more time in the archives and read more than most dwarves, they also read more quickly and had an idea from where to start.

     “I’ve never spent this much time in this place”, Dwalin commented when it started to get late and they still hadn’t found a clue how to break the spells.

     “Neither have I”, Thorin said.

     “Mount Doom must be freezing over”, Dís chuckled. “Anyway, I think we should finish for today – or at least Kíli and Ori should. They need their sleep.”

     “But Mum–” Kíli tried to protest but Dís was unyielding at this matter. Kíli huffed and asked if Ori and Gimli could sleep in his rooms for the night. He wasn’t sure he could be alone in there. That Dís allowed, and so Kíli and Ori picked up some books they could read in bed and then went looking for Gimli. Tauriel yawned and said she would go sleep as well. She hadn’t slept properly for many days. Balin went to show her the quarters she would reside in for the days she spent in Erebor. Tauriel was more than happy to follow the elderly Dwarf. That left Thorin, Dwalin and Dís in the archives. Thorin wouldn’t finish for that day just yet, Dwalin didn’t want to leave him alone, and Dís just tagged along. Dís did look tired, though, and after a couple of hours she decided to go to bed. She left a mark to the book she’d been reading so that she could pick up from where she left it.

     “Thorin, I think you should sleep, too”, Dwalin said.

     “I can’t”, Thorin answered. “I only think of Bilbo and Fíli whenever I try to sleep, not just meaning tonight, and then I can’t sleep because the thoughts won’t leave me alone.”

     “You’re gonna fall asleep over that table soon, you know”, Dwalin sighed. “Seriously, you’re no machine. Bilbo won’t make fun of you if you go to sleep and continue tomorrow.”

     “I know but...”

     “No buts, come on. You haven’t slept properly for days.”

* * *

Kíli, Ori and Gimli had done what they usually did when they had a sleepover – they’d built a fortress. Ori had brought candles and Gimli a whole lot of quilts and pillows, plus one huge mattress. Glóin’s face had been worth seeing when he had seen his son carrying all those things and said he was going to stay with Kíli for the night.

     “So, what have you two been up to?” Gimli asked, and Kíli and Ori told him. They told him everything Thorin had told them and Ori showed the books they were reading. Gimli was completely silent for many minutes, not exactly sure what to say. It sure was a lot to take, hearing all those things about evil wizards, Orcs and weird transformations.

     “What are you gonna do?” Gimli asked when he got his voice back.

     Kíli shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I’d like to see my brother but you know Uncle Thorin. But I’ll figure something out.”

     “And the letter? What does Fíli write?” asked Ori.

     “Basically that he’s alright and he’s taking care of Uncle Bilbo now that Uncle Thorin can’t. And he added a post script to you two, asking you to look after me.”

     Gimli laughed. “Now that’s a real full-time job, looking after you.”

     Kíli and Ori burst into laughter as well. Gimli had a point. The lads talked about the matter for a while longer until Thorin and Dwalin opened the room’s door and told them to go to sleep already. Thorin did compliment the fortress, though. The lads grumbled a bit but they shut the candles save from one. Gimli and Ori fell asleep soon enough, but Kíli had trouble with it. He couldn’t stop thinking about Fíli, and in the light of the last candle he read the letter once again, fingers running over the words his brother had written.

 

_My dearest Kíli,_

_I’m so, so sorry for disappearing like that (wasn’t my fault, though, it was that blasted Smaug who also captured Uncle Bilbo). I hope you’re well and doing your duties – and that you haven’t driven Mum and Uncle Thorin completely nuts. I know you, little brother._

_I’m right as rain, though I’d love to come home already. But as long as Uncle Bilbo has this spell on him (turns him into a swan) I can’t. I can’t abandon him, I trust you understand what I mean. I have to be here to keep him safe in Uncle Thorin’s stead. We’ll come home one day, it’s a promise! Bofur and Bombur are here too and they’re really nice. Bombur is the best cook in the world, I swear. And Bofur is always very cheerful and fun. I don’t know if I were able to bear being stuck here if I couldn’t hear his jokes every day. We also have to suffer from an Elf called Legolas. Oh, alright, he’s not all that bad I suppose, for an Elf at least. Smaug’s cast a spell on him, too. And I must say he makes a very nice snowy owl. (Don’t tell anyone I said that.)_

_Anyway, I can’t wait until I get to come home. I miss you so very much. Well, you and Mum, naturally. You must be all grown up by now – with a beard kicking in and all. Kíli, I want you to help Uncle Thorin to find a way to break the spells so that I and Uncle Bilbo can come home. Uncle Bilbo is the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. He’s so incredibly kind and brave – he’s stood up to some Orcs, can you imagine! Uncle Thorin must’ve been out of his right mind when he... you know. I hope you can meet Uncle Bilbo as soon as possible. I’m sure you’d like him._

_Oh, I wish I could tell you everything from these past two years but I don’t have enough time to write. Uncle Thorin can’t stay here forever and I need to give him this letter in order to have it reach you. Help Uncle Thorin the best you can, okay? I’m relying on you, as always, baby bro (I know you’re scowling right now)._

_I hope I’ll see you soon. Tell Mum I send her lots of hugs. Uncle Bilbo says hello to her and Auntie Belladonna._

_Lots and lots of love,_

_Your brother Fíli_

_P.S. If you show this to Ori and Gimli (which you’ll most likely do), tell them I said hello and that I ask them to look after you. Mahal knows you’re bound to get some silly ideas – Ori and Gimli, be kind and pull my brother out of the clouds if he begins to stay there for too long._

Kíli smiled at the letter. Fíli knew him almost better than he knew himself. Kíli wished that he could write back to him, to tell him that he was as well as he could be without his big brother. No such chance had been given to him, and it pained him. Kíli wanted to see his brother, he wanted it more than anything. But what could he do when he wasn’t allowed to come along when Thorin would leave the mountain again?

     Kíli shut the last candle and rolled over on his mattress. He had a plan forming in his mind. He’d be disobeying the rules, of course, and he would most likely make Thorin very mad, but this was Fíli, his brother. Kíli knew what he needed to do even though it was going to be very difficult and risky. But Thorin had also taken the risk and survived. Kíli closed his eyes and decided to plan further in the morning.

* * *

Thorin had hardly slept at all. When he had finally been able to sleep, he had only had a whole lot of nightmares about Bilbo. Thus he wasn’t exactly very happy the next day – in fact, he was grumpier than usually. Dís said that he acted like her when she was menstruating. Thorin flashed his sister a murderous glance. Dís laughed a little for the first time in many years.

     “It’s going to be alright”, Dís said and patted Thorin’s shoulder.

     “I know”, Thorin sighed. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”

     Balin and Tauriel were already in the archives. Balin had a book in front of him and Tauriel was reading a letter she had received earlier the same morning and translating a paragraph from a parchment roll from Sindarin to common tongue at the same time. The letter was the answer from her cousin in Thranduil’s archives. Tauriel said that her cousin was ready to help and that he’d sent a map with even better shortcuts to Dol Guldur. The news gave everyone energy to read whatever literal accounts they happened to read. There had been no luck so far but they kept going.

     “Where is Kíli, by the way?” Tauriel asked out of the blue.

     Everyone looked around and realised that Kíli wasn’t there. It was odd. Usually Kíli got up early, and yesterday he had been so enthusiastic about finally being allowed to help. This wasn’t like him. Thorin and Dís looked at each other, both fearing the worst. As soon as Dwalin appeared in the archives, Thorin told him to go check the stables. Dwalin was surprised of this sudden order but he turned around and ran to the stables as fast as he could. Dís and Balin went to check a small chamber besides the archives where they kept the maps – one was missing.

     “We’re one pony short”, Dwalin said when he returned. “Primrose wasn’t there.”

     Thorin slapped his hand over his forehead. “Argh, Kíli must have taken her and the map.”

     “Why would he do that?” asked Tauriel.

     “He has run off to see Fíli”, Thorin groaned. “He is going to get himself killed!”

     Dís covered her mouth and did her best not to either burst into tears or start swearing in Khuzdul. Not again! She had already lost one of her sons, she couldn’t lose Kíli as well. Then again Dís could understand Kíli’s motive to leave. Fíli and Kíli had been practically inseparable from the day Kíli was born. They had always been there for each other. Fíli loves his brother more than anything, and Kíli would’ve rather died than seen his brother hurt. Still, Dís shook her head at her son’s foolishness. Kíli took very much after Frerin in recklessness, too much for Dís’ taste.

     “What do we do?” Balin pondered.

     “I’ll go get Minty”, Thorin grunted and was just about to leave the room when Ori’s eldest brother, Dori, ran in.

     “Your Majesty”, he panted, “it’s urgent. Mr. Gandalf is here and he wishes to see you.”

     Everyone’s faces lit up. Gandalf was there? Well, it sure made things easier. Gandalf would most likely know how to break the spells, if not even break them himself. Thorin looked like he could’ve hugged Dori, but he just rushed past him straight to the council room. Dís, Balin, Dwalin and Tauriel followed him. Gandalf was already in there leaning onto his wooden staff, looking the same as ever. He had not changed a bit even though Thorin hadn’t seen him in many years. And right now Thorin could not have been happier to see him, as wary of the wizards as he usually was.

     “Gandalf”, Thorin sighed.

     “It has been too long, King Thorin”, Gandalf smiled. “And I am very pleased to see you too, Princess Dís. But Tauriel, seeing you here is a surprise.”

     “Mithrandír, we need your help”, Tauriel said. “One of your colleagues, Smaug, has captured the heirs of the realms of Mirkwood, Erebor and the Shire.”

     “Don’t forget Bofur and Bombur”, Dwalin reminded.

     “Tell me everything you know, leave nothing out”, Gandalf said strictly. “I was aware of the captures of the heirs but I did not know it was Smaug’s doing. Although I must admit that it makes perfect sense.”

     And Thorin started to tell. Dís and Tauriel occasionally added bits and pieces he had forgotten or didn’t know of, and after many long moments Gandalf received the entire story. He looked troubled and somewhat older than he already did.

     “That is all we know”, Thorin said.

     “It is as bad as I feared”, Gandalf said. “Smaug is very much back indeed, and it seems his desire for power is stronger than ever.”

     “Can you do anything to break the spells on Prince Legolas and Prince Bilbo?” Tauriel wanted to know. On her face was a look more eager than any Thorin had seen during these past few days. It made Tauriel look less distant and more humane, more from this world.

     Gandalf shook his head. “No wizard can undo what another has charmed. But I can tell you what you must do to break them. Smaug receives his power from his hatred. It is his strength but also his greatest weakness. The spells he has cast can be reversed with a force much stronger than hate.”

     Dís was the first to understand what Gandalf meant. “It’s love, isn’t it? Love is needed to break the spells because it’s the opposite of hate.”

     A wide smile spread on Gandalf’s face. “Well reasoned, Dís.”

     “Then why wasn’t the spell on Bilbo broken when I met him?” Thorin demanded. “I love him more than anything.”

     “I’m sure you do but have you told _Bilbo_ that?” Gandalf replied. “In order to break the spell you must tell him you love him, truly love him. It has to be a clear declaration of unconditional love.”

     Tauriel got up from her chair. “We must leave. Now. We cannot lose another minute.”

     “Easy, Tauriel”, said Dwalin. “We have to prepare ourselves first. We need food and water and a whole lot of weapons in case we face some orcs this time.”

     Dwalin was right. Some preparations had to be made before they could leave. Tauriel made a face but left for the royal armoury of Erebor with Dwalin. Dís promised to take care of urgent matters in Thorin’s stead, and Balin left for the kitchens. Thorin could’ve kissed his sister. He knew how much Dís hated taking care of Erebor’s politics and here she was, voluntarily willing to take care of them.

     “Dís, you’re the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known”, Thorin said.

     “Wouldn’t hurt if you said it more often”, Dís replied. “I only do this for my sons and Bilbo. Bring them back.”

     “I will”, Thorin promised. “Gandalf, will you come with me, Dwalin and Tauriel?”

     “Oh yes”, Gandalf said. “I might not be able to lift Smaug’s spells but I can help you fight him and his band of orcs.” 

* * *

Legolas was pacing, which looked quite amusing since he was in his owl form. He tried to make up a way to free Bilbo. In fact, it was what they all had been trying to do for the past two weeks. Fíli was still extremely shocked and he hardly ate even though Bofur and Bombur tried to persuade him to. Bombur had even made Fíli’s favourite dishes every day, but the lad just wouldn’t eat. They had to figure out something quickly now for two reasons. One: they had to release Bilbo. Two: they couldn’t let Fíli starve.

     “Oh! It’s coming!” Legolas exclaimed suddenly. “Yes, yes, this idea will work, I promise.”

     “Good, so what is it about?” Bofur asked enthusiastically. He had sort of grown to trust Legolas after the success of his plan about stealing the map.

     “Well, it’s quite simple. We need to get one of you into the fortress while the rest of us distract the Orcs on guard – and Smaug, if need be. The one who sneaks into the fortress will get the key to the dungeons and on his way back here get our weapons.”

     Fíli, Bofur and Bombur looked at each other. The plan did sound good.

     “Right, give me some more dinner”, Fíli said. “I’ll do the sneaking, so I need energy. And I’m getting quite good at it. But about the distraction, we need to figure out how to do it.”

     “How about me and Bombur make up insulting songs of the Orcs?” Bofur suggested. “They’re not gonna like what I’ve got in mind. By the by Legolas, thanks for making the lad eat.”

     “Never mind”, Legolas said tilting his head (which made him look very cute). “And your idea is brilliant, Bofur. I’ll peck their eyes off if they come too close, the Orcs. Something use comes from the new moon.”

     And then they got to work. After eating the dinner Fíli went to the gate to the fortress and opened it while Bofur and Bombur started to sing and yell insults at the Orcs. The Orcs fell for it. They went to threaten the brothers while Fíli ran inside the fortress as quickly as he could. And he did it faster than normally. He didn’t meet anyone inside. It was odd because usually there were at least a dozen Orcs patrolling. Now that Fíli thought of it, there were also less Orcs outside than there usually was. How odd of Smaug to suddenly send fewer guards out. Fíli was sure there was something fishy behind it. But this wasn’t the time to ponder it. Fíli had to get the keys.

     It took over half an hour until Fíli found the room where Smaug kept the keys to the dungeons. There were no guards in that room, either, and Fíli started seriously to suspect Smaug had something in his mind. He grabbed the keys and ran to the dungeons. He found the room where Azog had locked the weapons on the way. Fíli spotted his two swords, Bofur’s pickaxe and Bombur’s filleting knife along with two sets of bow and arrows, one of which looked fit for Legolas and the other smaller by far and oddly familiar. Fíli raised his eyebrow at it but didn’t have time to think about it further. He did grab his swords in case there’d be Orcs guarding the dungeons. And at that he was not disappointed. There were four hideously ugly (even more than normally) orcs down there. Fíli thought of it. He could fight the Orcs – four wasn’t that much – but he needed to concentrate. Fíli took several deep breaths before charging. It was a quick battle (thank Mahal the Orcs were slow in their heavy armours). Fíli cleaned the blood on his swords to their skins and then moved on.

     “Uncle Bilbo? Are you here?” he called, and was surprised when he was answered by someone whose voice he hadn’t heard in two years.

     “Fíli? Is that you?”

     “Kíli?!” Fíli ran to the cell where the voice came from and peeked in. His eyes didn’t betray him. Kíli was there, and so was Bilbo. “What in Mahal’s name are you doing here?” Fíli hissed at his younger brother. “Wait, don’t answer. I’m coming in.”

     He turned the key in the lock and opened the door. Kíli was grinning at him the mischievous manner he always had and Bilbo fluttered his wings.

     “See? I told you someone was going to get us”, Kíli said to Bilbo while Fíli released them from the chains on the wall.

     “Uncle Bilbo, are you alright?” Fíli asked. “I’m so sorry about what happened and that it took so long before we figured out how to rescue you.”

     “It’s alright”, Bilbo answered. “I’m not hurt or anything, just very stiff from sitting here for two weeks and two days. Kíli arrived yesterday late at night.”

     “Fee, you were right”, Kíli said. “Uncle Bilbo is the nicest–”

     “Shut it, I’ll deal with you later”, Fíli growled at him. “Kíli, you’re a bloody fool for coming here. Don’t you ever think before you act?”

     “I had to see you, Fee!” Kíli insisted. “Besides, I heard Smaug and that pale Orc talking about something that concerns us! They’re going to set an ambush on Uncle Thorin!”

     “What?!” Fíli blurted. “Oh, by Mahal, that’s not good. We have to warn him!”

     “Uh, you two”, said Bilbo. “If you’re not too busy with your brotherly bickering, I’d like to remind you that right now I’m a swan and I can easily fly and warn Thorin.”

     The brothers realized that Bilbo had a point. Fíli checked that the way was clear and then they rushed together to the highest tower of the fortress (Kíli fetched his bow and arrows on the way). Bilbo stretched his wings before taking off. The two weeks in the cell had made them surprisingly stiff.

     “Uncle Bilbo, be careful out there”, Fíli pleaded. “I’d hate to lose you.”

     “I’ll be as careful as possible”, Bilbo promised. “Take care of each other, you two.”

     Then he took off and flew to the dark night sky. Fíli and Kíli looked at each other and hugged. Both were crying. Fíli squeezed his younger brother so tightly that he nearly ran out of breath. Not that Kíli actually minded. He just squeezed back.

     “Kee, you’re an idiot, I hope you know that”, Fíli said. “Luckily you’re _my_ idiot, so it’s not a problem.”

     “I’m sorry I didn’t do as you asked me to”, Kíli answered. “It’s just... I wanted to see you, so I nicked a map, got on Primrose and took off. After a week I finally made it here, and that’s when I heard Smaug talking about that ambush thing. Primrose neighed at wrong time, so I got caught. I don’t know what they did to her.”

     “And then they threw you into that cell”, Fíli stated. “Oh, Mahal, if I’d just known... Well, you’re here, and as much as I seriously think that you’re suicidal, I’m happy you came.”

     “Me too. And before you cut me off, I was saying that you were right. Uncle Bilbo really is the nicest person ever. I must admit, though, that at first I was a bit freaked out because of a talking swan. Then I realised it was him. And Uncle Bilbo said that he instantly knew who I was. Said that I look a lot like Mum.”

     “Well, you do”, Fíli smirked. “Gods, you’re all grown up now – and your beard is kicking in!”

     “Yeah, and I’m taller than you!” Kíli laughed.

     “That I’m not gonna forgive. You’re my baby bro, you’re supposed to be shorter than me!”

     Kíli scowled at “baby bro”, which made Fíli laugh. The they ran back down the stairs. They had to get the weapons for Bofur and Bombur. Kíli took also Legolas’ bow and arrows because they couldn’t just be left there. Legolas had no use for them at the moment but he’d most likely have when the spell would be broken. That was another thing why Fíli was happy Kíli had arrived. They could use an archer.

     Once they were outside they sneaked into the garden and Fíli hooted like a snowy owl to sign that he had succeeded in the mission and to tease Legolas a bit. Bofur, Bombur and Legolas arrived two minutes later, all looking very pleased with themselves. Bofur and Bombur had had the time of their lives making up very creative insults and Legolas had pecked off a great deal of eyes and even killed one Orc.

     “Nice”, Fíli said with a devilish grin. “Anyway, I’d like you to meet my baby brother, Kíli.”

     “Fee, I love you, but if you call me that one more time, I’m gonna have to murder you.”

     “Bofur, at your service”, Bofur said, ignoring the death threats. “This is my brother, Bombur.”

     “Hello”, said Bombur.

     “And that’s the Elf”, Bofur added, playfully picking on Legolas.

     “I do have a name”, Legolas sighed. “I am Legolas, pleased to meet you. I don’t usually look like a snowy owl, but today I can’t help it. New moon, you see.”

     After the introductions were done, Kíli told them about the planned ambush. It was clear for everyone what they had to do. Kíli helped Legolas hide his bow and arrows in a hole in a tree, and Bofur and Bombur grabbed their weapons (the pickaxe for Bofur and the filleting knife and the good old iron ladle for Bombur). Then they got going. They had to ambush the ambush, as Kíli put it. And they couldn’t be late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on adding Gandalf to this story when I started writing this but at some point I thought, "Oh, screw it, I'll have Gandalf in it because he rocks!"
> 
> I seem to write reunion scenes all the time xD This time it was very easy to write, I just had to imagine how I'd feel if I hadn't seen my younger sister in two years. My sister and I are very much like Fíli and Kíli, and I draw inspiration to their relationship from my relationship to my sis. (Funnily enough my sister is also taller than me - never gonna forgive her for that.)
> 
> I love worried Thorin and I like Tauriel more than I usually like elves (except for Legolas, whom I love).
> 
> And Kíli is adorable.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's second-to-last chapter! What the...? It feels like I just started this silly AU, how can it be second-to-last chapter already? Freaky, just freaky, I'm telling you.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter took me long to write because it was one of the hardest I've ever written. So please comment and tell me if it made you feel anything, any emotions at all. If I manage to make you feel something, it will be a huge step for me as a writer.

Bilbo had never been so scared in all his life. He was scared that he would find Thorin too late, that Thorin would be killed by the time... Not even that day when the dragon had attacked could compare to this. Bilbo flew as fast as he could, observing the forest simultaneously. So far he hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Thorin, or of Tauriel or Dwalin for that matter. Had the ambush already...? No, Bilbo told himself firmly. He could not go down that road. Thorin was fine, he had to be.

     And then Bilbo saw it. The battle. The Orcs were led by no other than Azog himself. Bilbo saw Thorin, Dwalin and Tauriel fighting back more fiercely than what he had ever seen people fight. He also saw a person taller than any of the three, dressed in grey robes and wielding a sword glowing blue as well as a long staff. A second later Bilbo realized that it was Gandalf. He hadn’t seen the wizard since his tenth birthday, but he was a good family friend. Belladonna had always spoken very highly of him. Bilbo flew closer to see better what was happening. Dwalin and Tauriel seemed to have a competition on who killed more Orcs because they both were counting their kills. And as for Thorin, Bilbo had never seen him so ferocious. Thorin was currently duelling with Azog, both determined to kill the other. It wasn’t the first time for them – they had fought one another once before, and that time Thorin had survived as winner. He had sliced off Azog’s left arm and after having used a branch of oak as a shield had also earned the honour name Oakenshield.

      This time, though, Azog was more prepared and certainly did not underestimate Thorin. The dwarf king was bleeding all over but would not yield. Bilbo was distressed. Thorin was very courageous but he was also growing tired, and Bilbo didn’t know what he could do to help him. He wouldn’t have been much use in his normal form, much less now that he was a swan, but he had to do something or Azog would be sure to kill Thorin, his betrothed, his... his true love.

     “Thorin!” someone suddenly yelled and everyone turned to see Fíli, Kíli, Bofur, Bombur and Legolas (who was resting on Kíli’s shoulder). They had made it in time. Legolas took off and attacked the nearest Orc. The battle was on again. Bilbo remained further away, wishing that Smaug would’ve turned him into an owl instead of a swan... or better yet, a hawk. Then he maybe could’ve been useful.

     Thorin was overjoyed to see both his nephews in good health but he also made a mental note to give Kíli a thorough bashing for disappearing like that. Kíli seemed to think the same because he wouldn’t meet his uncle’s gaze. Thorin shook his head before concentrating on Azog again. This time he would slay the Pale Orc. This time he would not fail. Only Azog had the same idea in his mind. They wouldn’t back off until one of them was killed. Azog wielded his spiked club and hit Thorin’s left shoulder. Thorin cried in pain and fell on his knees. The hit had dislocated his arm. Azog laughed cruelly and prepared to give the final strike. Fíli and Kíli saw this and they both turned to run to shield their uncle.

     Only Bilbo was there faster.

     Bilbo fell on the ground with a heavy _thump_. He had turned back to his normal form and wherever Thorin laid his eyes, he was bleeding. Thorin felt a wave of rage coming over him, and grasping Orcrist tighter than ever with his good hand, he ran it first through Azog’s chest and then beheaded him. The falling of their leader made the other Orcs flee (those who were stupid enough to linger met their maker when Dwalin waved his battleaxes). In the process Gandalf and Tauriel ran to see Bilbo, especially Tauriel very shocked and also somewhat awestruck of the Hobbit’s courage. Fíli was crying on his brother’s shoulder. Kíli tried to comfort him the best he could but it was no use, since tears fell down his cheeks as well. Legolas landed softly on Bofur’s stretched arm and the ever-so-optimistic Dwarf ran his fingers on the elf’s feathers, not being able to watch. Bombur was fighting tears and Dwalin patted his back lightly. Dwalin had decided to keep it together.

     Thorin dropped Orcrist on the ground and fell on his knees again, clutching his wounded shoulder. No, _no_ , this could not be happening. He couldn’t lose Bilbo again, not after the twenty years of desperate search, not after they had just been reunited, not after they had finally had a conversation that did not include smacking the other, not after... not after the kisses they had shared, the kisses that had been so full of love.

     “ _Âzyungel_ , I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”, Thorin whispered and reached his hand to touch Bilbo’s. “If I’d just... if I hadn’t been such a fool, none of this would’ve happened.”

     Bilbo stirred a little, looking at Thorin with a painful smile on his lips. “It’s a-alright, Thorin”, he managed to say. “P-people do stupid things... when they’re in love.”

     “He has lost a lot of blood”, said Tauriel when Bilbo fell unconscious. “I’ll do what I can but I cannot guarantee anything.”

     “Neither can I”, Gandalf said. “But we can try.”

     Thorin nodded, tears falling down his face. He hadn’t even realized he was weeping. And now that he looked closer, tears had striped also Bilbo’s face.

     “Just do whatever you can for him.”

     Then someone – no, two people – wrapped their arms around Thorin. Thorin didn’t turn but he knew it was his nephews. Two seconds later Dwalin was there to fix Thorin’s shoulder with a loud _crack_. It hurt but Thorin wouldn’t let out a sound. He had to remain strong, for Bilbo’s sake.

     “You are doing everything in vain.”

     Smaug had arrived. Thorin stood up and picked Orcrist from the ground, ready to charge if need be, not caring about his wounds. Smaug chuckled a little at that and continued, “The little Hobbit does not have much strength left in him. Pity, he was a handsome lad.”

     “Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth and slither back to whatever hole you came from”, Gandalf snapped. Smaug narrowed his eyes.

     “Gandalf. I didn’t see you there. I must say your taste in the company you choose has gone worse during the years.” Smaug laughed. “As I said, your efforts are in vain. There is no way you can save Bilbo... well, apart from one, and you can never manage to succeed in it.”

     Thorin raised his eyebrow suspiciously. “And what is that, then?”

     “Oh, it’s actually quite simple, little king”, Smaug said. “You have to kill me. It would also lift the spell on pretty Legolas here.”

     Legolas screeched. He may have been an Elf but nobody called him _pretty_ and lived to tell the tale. Fíli and Kíli got up on their feet, and Kíli was aiming an arrow at Smaug. Dwalin, Bofur and Bombur also took their positions behind their king, everyone ready to charge.

     “You might as well surrender now”, Thorin said. “It’s one against seven, you don’t stand a chance.”

     “Oh yes, quite unfair, isn’t it? Well, I’ll balance it. How would you like if it were seven against, say, a dragon?”

     Smaug’s body began to change. He became a lot bigger, more feral and eventually he had turned himself into a great red dragon. Tauriel gasped in horror. Gandalf turned around and created a shield around him, the she-Elf and Bilbo as Smaug started to spit fire. The dwarves and Legolas had to split up so that the flames wouldn’t have incinerated them.

     “Hold your ground!” Thorin bellowed. “Fíli, Kíli, stay near me!”

     “Right on, Uncle”, Fíli said. “Let’s bring him down.”

     The dwarves charged but Legolas was the first to reach the dragon. He flew as close to him as he could and started to pester him. Smaug screamed and tried to get Legolas, but the elf-owl was too quick. The diversion gave especially Thorin time to attack. He climbed up Smaug’s leg just before Smaug spread his wings and flew upon the sky. Legolas continued to pester him and suddenly Smaug let out a terrifying cry of pain. The reason wasn’t clear at first but soon Fíli shouted, “He pecked off his eye!”

     Smaug screamed again and as he was squirming around his tail hit Legolas on the wing and made the Elf fall down. Tauriel shrieked but luckily Bombur was there to catch Legolas right on time. His wing was dislocated but otherwise he was fine. Speaking of fine...

     “Thorin! You alright there?” Dwalin shouted. Thorin was now standing on the dragon’s back, looking for a weak spot in his scales.

     “Kíli! Shoot!” Thorin ordered.

     “But it’s out of range!” Kili answered desperately. “I can’t!”

     “Do as I say, NOW!”

     Kíli looked absolutely lost until Tauriel came to him quickly and handed him an Elvish arrow. “Here”, she said. “Use this. You won’t miss with it, I give you my word.”

     Then she returned to Bilbo who had stopped bleeding but had still breathing problems and was deathly pale. Kíli took a deep breath before placing the arrow on the bow string and taking aim at the dragon’s chest. It was still very much out of range, but the arrow was of Elvish make and Kíli knew for a fact that more often than not Elvish items were of the highest quality and reliability.

     “You can do it, Kee”, Fíli said with a confident smile.

     “KÍLI! About now would be perfect!” Thorin yelled and tried to take a grip on something. Or that was how it looked. In truth he had found a weak spot in the back of Smaug’s neck. A very small almost nonscaly spot where he sank Orcrist. But it never hurt to do a very thorough job. Kíli aimed calmly with new confidence in his skills and released the arrow, praying that it would find its target.

     The hit could not have been neater.

     Thorin jumped to the closest tree just as the arrow pierced Smaug’s chest right where his heart should have been. Smaug let out a cry that sounded both like cursing and the word “no”. Fíli was hugging Kíli and was soon joined by Bofur and Dwalin (Bombur was still looking after Legolas). Legolas had turned back to the Elf he was and despite the wounds and the dislocated arm he was smiling as he watched Smaug fall into the lake.

     “Good riddance”, he said to Bombur. “And thank you for the good catch.”

     “Anytime”, Bombur answered. “I can’t believe we can go home now. It feels sort of absurd.”

     “I know”, Legolas sighed. “Hey, Kíli, that was a very nice shot.”

     “Thanks”, Kíli smiled. Then they all remembered why Kíli had shot Smaug in the first place and turned to see Bilbo. Thorin had climbed off the tree while everyone had been concentrating on praising the shot and was now holding Bilbo gently in his arms. Gandalf said that Bilbo’s wounds had disappeared and his breathing had evened the second the arrow had pierced Smaug’s heart but that it would be dangerous if he didn’t wake. Thorin caressed Bilbo’s curls softly and said with a thick voice, “Bilbo, if you can hear me, I want you to know that you are the most reckless person I’ve ever met – but also the smartest, the bravest and the kindest. Just... just do one more miracle and... don’t die.”

     “Now there’s something you should’ve said ages ago, you daft Dwarf.”

     Bilbo smiled at Thorin brightly as though nothing had happened. Thorin made a funny sound that sounded both like a little laugh and a sob.

     “Don’t you ever dare scare me like that again, you confounded Halfling”, he grunted and held Bilbo tighter to his chest.

     “I was only taking a short break”, Bilbo said. “Saving you is a tiring business, you know.”

     Then Fíli and Kíli were there, hugging their uncles with wide smiles on their faces. They both were incredibly relieved, especially Fíli who was so very fond of Bilbo. Kíli started to describe to Bilbo how he had shot Smaug when Thorin interrupted him, “Before I forget, I must say that you have never defied me like this, Kíli. Running away from home like that, disobeying nearly every restriction I’ve set on you... there certainly isn’t a punishment good enough for you this time.”

     Kíli looked down in embarrassment. He had know he’d taken a risk when he’d run off and he was ready to suffer the consequences. Bilbo and Fíli looked at Thorin with utter disbelief and they were just about ready to protest when the Dwarf king continued, “And that is why I let you off the hook just this once. I’m so proud of you, Kíli. That was a truly amazing shot.”

     Kíli’s face lit up again. “Thank you, Uncle Thorin!” he exclaimed and hugged the older Dwarf. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell Mum all about this whole thing!”

     “I wouldn’t be so eager”, Dwalin put in. He’d just finished fixing Legolas’ dislocated arm and was now grinning down at the happy family. “If you ask me, you’ll be lucky if Dís doesn’t kill you for all the worry you’ve caused her.”

     “She won’t kill me”, Kíli assured with a grin. “She’ll be so ecstatic about Fíli and Uncle Bilbo’s return that she forgets that I ran away in the first place.”

     “Thanks for reminding me about that, Kíli”, said Bilbo. “We can go home now. It’s so strange. I’ve been dreaming of this day for so long and now that it’s actually here... What happens next?”

     Thorin blushed slightly as he answered, “Well, I was thinking... that there may be a wedding. You know, a royal wedding.”

     Bilbo snorted. “Now there’s the most romantic proposal of the century, no doubt.”

     Fíli, Kíli and Dwalin laughed, and so did also Bofur, Bombur, Gandalf, Legolas and Tauriel who had been observing this a little further away, not wanting to disturb anything. Then Tauriel took a look at Legolas’ wounds and was happy to see that he was mainly unharmed. Legolas also praised the way Dwalin had fixed his arm. Thorin glared at all of them one by one, basically telling them to shut up or he’d give them to Dís to use for her knife-throwing training. That created a bit more laughter until everyone decided to give Thorin and Bilbo a little privacy. Dwalin patted Bilbo’s shoulder and said that he was happy to see him back in good health and Fíli and Kíli gave the surprised Hobbit quick kisses to both his cheeks before leaving him and Thorin in peace. Thorin had never been so uncomfortable. He had pictured this moment in his head more times than he cared to admit, but in his imagination it had not included two overly enthusiastic nephews or a laughing wizard (Gandalf was trembling with laughter). He’d definitely imagined having a lot more privacy but now he just had to make do.

     “Bilbo, my _sanghivasha_ , would you...” Thorin had to take a breath. “Would you give me the honour as to accept my hand in marriage?”

     Bilbo’s smile grew even wider and he surprised Thorin by kissing him full on the mouth. “That was a yes, just so you know.”

     “We got a new uncle!” Fíli and Kíli rejoiced.

* * *

Eight days later in Erebor

 

Dís was pacing. What was taking her brother, Dwalin, Gandalf and that she-Elf so long? They should be home already. Just how difficult was it to make a declaration of unconditional love? Dís snorted a little. Knowing Thorin he would just mess with the words. Never had been good with words, her brother.

     Dís wasn’t alone in the royal drawing-room. Queen Belladonna had arrived just two days earlier because she had grown lonely in Bag End. Dís had greeted her and told her everything that had occurred since her last visit in Erebor. Needless to say, Belladonna had burst into tears upon hearing that her only son was alive and in good health, though under a dreadful spell. However, Belladonna had full confidence in Thorin, even now when Dís was utterly restless.

     “Dís, my dear, stop that”, Belladonna said as she watched the dwarf lady pace. “They will arrive when it’s time. Your pacing won’t make them return any faster.”

     “I know, Auntie Bella, but I don’t know what else to do”, Dís sighed. “It’s my son, and my dear friend on the top of that. How can I calm down when I know they’re coming home but don’t know when?”

     Belladonna took Dís’ hand and squeezed it a little. “Breathe, dear. I feel it in my old bones that it shan’t be long now.”

     Indeed it wasn’t. Only five minutes later Ori and Gimli rushed into the room, both yelling, “They’re here, they’re here!” Dís and Belladonna just stared at the lads for a moment before they fully understood what they had just said. Gimli was practically jumping up and down for the excitement, and he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Well come on! They’re here! Quick!” That made the two women move. Despite her old age Belladonna ran the whole way down to the entrance hall faster than Dís.

     Dís had thought that after everything she had gone through during the past twenty years (losing her son, husband, brother, father and best friend) she was done crying. She could not have been more wrong. Fíli was smiling a little shyly and said, “Hi, Mum.” It was just enough to make Dís cry like a little child. She hugged Fíli tightly and two seconds later grabbed Kíli’s arm and dragged him into the embrace as well. Kíli didn’t mind.

     “Thank gods”, Dís whispered. “You’re both home. Oh, I’ve never been so happy.”

     “I know, Mama”, Fíli said with a thick voice. “It’s alright now.”

     Dís laughed and kissed both her songs on their foreheads. She also smacked Kíli to the backside of his head and playfully scolded him for causing her so much worry. Playfully because in truth she wasn’t mad at all. On the contrary, Dís was only relieved that Fíli and Kíli had come home and were safe and sound. Then Dís looked at Thorin and Bilbo who were holding hands, and with a huge grin on her face she asked, “So is there going to be a wedding anytime soon?”

     “As a matter of fact there is, sweet sister”, Thorin answered.

     Dís and Belladonna looked at each other smiling, and Belladonna said that she absolutely had to start planning the ceremony immediately. Bilbo sighed dramatically.

     “Mother, don’t I have anything to say about my own wedding?” he asked.

     “Just grant me this one pleasure, Bilbo darling”, Belladonna said. “I have not seen you in twenty years, you surely wouldn’t deny an old woman a reason to be joyful like a young lass.”

     “Fine, fine”, Bilbo laughed. “But please try not to exaggerate. It’s just a wedding, really. Thorin and I don’t need anything flamboyant.”

     “True”, Thorin agreed. But Belladonna seemed to ignore this as she and Dís already started to discuss about the flower arrangements and whether or not they should wait until spring with the wedding, because it was when the cherry blossoms would bloom and they were so beautiful.

     “Great, now Mum’s never gonna stop”, Kíli muttered.

     “She is hopeless”, Thorin agreed with a fond smile. Then he and Bilbo left to see the tombs, for they both felt that Frerin should know that they were home and everything was fine. They both wept when they were there, looking upon Frerin’s grave.

     Thorin sighed, “There hasn’t been a day when I haven’t been imagining Frerin burst into a room with a smile on his face and being ridiculously cheerful and excited for no obvious reason.”

     Bilbo couldn’t help but smile at that comment. “Well, I think that’s how Frerin wants to be remembered, you know. And I also think that he’s happy now, now that we’re home and... well, together.”

     Thorin had to smile too. Bilbo was most likely right, and it made the yearning a little bit easier to bear. Thorin hadn’t felt that peaceful in years, and he was quite sure that Frerin, too, was at peace at last. Everything was well... if you didn’t count the extremely flamboyant wedding feast there was bound to be now that Bilbo and Thorin had accidentally given Belladonna and Dís free hands with it. They could only imagine the terror on the faces of the guests once they had to see that place of the party. But they would be married, and it was more than perfectly enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Âzyungel = the love of love
> 
> Sanghivasha = perfect treasure
> 
> Told you there was going to be more Khuzdul endearments. I have a serious thing for them.
> 
> I hate writing proposing scenes. I just do. I don't know why. They just make me facepalm a lot. But it had to be done and I hope it's at least moderately fine.
> 
> Oh, and before I forget, you can also follow me on Twitter and Tumblr. I'm ErinacchiLove in both sites. And also, if you like this silly AU, please also read my Hobbit/A Song of Ice and Fire/Percy Jackson and the Olympians crossover called A Song of Misty Mountains (you can find it in my profile page).
> 
> And Fíli and Kíli are bloody adorable. Just wanted to add that.


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